Lycoming County in Pennsylvania is hosting substantial gas drilling and soon will be home for a 69 megawatt wind farm that Duke Energy is now constructing. See http://www.duke-energy.com/news/releases/2011091301.asp. The wind farm will provide enough emission free energy to supply 20,000 homes. It is scheduled to begin operations in September 2012.
The Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation will buy all the power for 25 years from the Laurel Hill Windpower project, locking in power prices at today's low levels. Very smart. This purchase also demonstrates that Pennsylvania can benefit from selling renewable power to supply the needs of other states.
Meanwhile Pennsylvanians can encourage wind power and renewable energy development in the Commonwealth by buying green power products that source their supply from projects located in Pennsylvania. Buying Pennsylvania wind or renewable energy cleans the air and creates jobs right here. Buying a national green energy product may help Texas but will not benefit Pennsylvania much, with the exception of displacing global carbon emissions.
Once Laurel Hill is completed, it will join the 70 megawatt North Allegheny wind farm in Blair and Cambria counties as Duke Energy's second Pennsylvania wind farm.
Duke Energy plans to have 1,500 megawatts of wind energy operating nationally by 2013 and have another 5,500 megawatts of wind in its development pipeline.
In other good news, 3 more coal plants set to bite the dust in Kentucky: http://www.wfpl.org/2011/09/15/lge-kentucky-utilities-to-replace-three-coal-plants-with-natural-gas/?sf2198714=1
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing out this news.
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