About 6% of energy provided to East Kentucky Power Cooperative’s 16 owner-member coops currently comes from renewable sources. That includes 60 acres of solar panels off Interstate 64 near Winchester. EKPC External Affairs Manager Nick Comer said someday there could be increased connectivity among solar collecting sites.
“There are a lot of proposals by independent companies to build and interconnect solar farms. It’s yet to be seen how that will play out,” said Comer
Comer said such a proposal would need to go before the Kentucky Public Service Commission and, eventually, electricity transmission administrators. When it comes to renewables in Kentucky, Comer anticipates the primary focus to remain on solar power.
While Kentucky utilities like East Kentucky Power Cooperative have goals to increase the use of renewable power sources, Coop executives say sunshine, water, and wind can’t weather all challenges. They cite a severe winter storm coupled with a power grid breakdown in Texas which brought about the tragic loss of life. Nick Comer noted coal, natural gas, and nuclear are still considered reliable power sources. He added storing electricity is not fully developed yet.
“I think what a lot of people are looking at is battery technology and the potential for incorporating that along with renewables to fill in those gaps where renewables are not available, but the fact is today that technology is just not quite ready for widespread deployment,” explained Comer.
East Kentucky Power’s sustainability program does call for reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 35% and upping the use of renewable sources by 15% by 2035. East Kentucky Power is an underwriter of programming on WEKU.
