More green energy dreams are coming true.
BP will build in 2012 one of Pennsylvania's biggest wind farms yet, pushing Pennsylvania rapidly toward 1500 megawatts of wind power, a truly extraordinary amount, and enough for about 500,000 homes or close to 10% of all the state's residential electricity accounts.
BP will construct the 141 megawatt Mehoopany wind farm in Northeast Pennsylvania. Seehttp://planetark.org/wen/64373. The wind farm probably represents a $250 million investment in the Commonwealth and will put hundreds of people to work in the construction phase and create permanent maintenance and operations positions.
BP is saying that its Mehoopany wind farm will be the biggest wind farm in Pennsylvania, but it actually will be trumped by Everpower. Everpower is building in 2012 an even bigger wind farm in Somerset county.
The Mehoopany wind farm, nonetheless, will at least be number 2 in Pennsylvania and will generate enough zero pollution power to supply about 45,000 homes.
Consumers can support wind energy and renewables by switching to electricity power products that use wind or renewables to generate the electricity. I have been buying a green power product since 1999 and encourage all to do so. The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate has a good electricity shopping guide. Go to www.oca.state.pa.us.
When buying a green power product, check to make sure that the renewable energy is coming from Pennsylvania renewable energy generators. Buy local renewable energy.
Finally, when I was Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, it was my privilege to work with other DEP staff on the permitting of the Mehoopany wind farm, and it is a personal pleasure to see this wind farm be built.
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