A massive solar farm on an abandoned coal mine site in Martin County is producing electricity. According to a news release from owner Savion, the project uses more than 214-thousand solar panels across 1,200 acres. Adam Edelen, founder and CEO of Edelen Renewables, said his company brought Toyota into the project.
“What Toyota is interested in is what's called a virtual power purchase agreement, where the automotive manufacturer is buying power at a fixed rate for a number of years, they own these electrons, and they use that against their carbon footprint in order to meet their sustainability goals.”
According to Savion, more than 300 local workers built the solar farm, which will produce enough energy to power about 18,500 Kentucky homes for the next four decades. Edelen said despite President-elect Trump’s support for fossil fuels, the future is bright for solar power.
“I cannot imagine, particularly in a place like coal country, where these projects represent the largest private capital investment in the history of most of these communities, I can't imagine that anybody would try to resist it.”
Edelen said about 80 percent of private capital investment associated with the green energy revolution is going to red Republican states.
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