FAIRMONT – Folks driving on I-79 can see an array of solar panels on the hill just below Mon Power’s Fairmont headquarters.
The 28 panels supply the energy for a Mon Power solar research and development project. FirstEnergy spokeswoman Hannah Catlett drove in from the company’s Ohio HQ to explain what’s in the works.
The panels, she said, are powering a Level Two electric vehicle charger installed in Mon Power’s parking lot. The EV can charge up without pulling energy off the PJM regional electric grid. So it’s 100% solar, not the regional mix of coal, gas, nuclear, hydro, wind and solar.
Just above the panel array is a small inverter/battery assembly that receives the energy. Depending on whether or not an EV is plugged in to the charger, and the amount of charge stored in the battery, the inverter can decide how much energy to send to the charger and how much to send into the battery.
When there’s no sun, or when sun is providing less energy that what the EV needs, the charger draws from the battery. When there’s plenty of sun, or no car plugged in, the battery stores up power.
The project, in part, is for Mon Power to study how the small system – the sun was supplied about 7 kilowatts of power into the inverter/battery while we were there – works and could possibly be expanded in the future.
It also dovetails with Mon Power’s and a sister company’s separate solar project: five utility-scale solar facilities for their West Virginia service territory. Mon Power is actively recruiting customers for its solar renewable energy credits (SREC) program, where they can pay a small additional charge to obtain SREC certificates that represent the environmental attributes of solar power and prove solar energy was generated on the purchasers’ behalf. For every megawatt hour of solar energy generated, one SREC is produced.
Catlett said, “It’s a great place to have it prominently placed here so that residents driving down the highway can see these solar panels, get curious about it and then learn more about solar and hopefully our program.”
Catlett rented a Tesla for the trip from Ohio. Early in the day, when she first arrived and hooked up, the sun was providing about 5 kw of power while the car was taking in 7 kw and drawing from the battery. Later, when the sun was higher, the panels were taking in about 7 kw, the same as what the car was drawing.
This charger isn’t like the Tesla superchargers you see installed at gas stations and convenience stores that can quickly supply a full charge, she said. Depending on the car, it can supply 8 to 24 miles for every hour of charging. The sole project charger is meant for employees and building visitors.
“This is a good project,” Catlett said. It shows Mon Power wants to support the environment and take pressure off the grid. Mon Power also wants to support domestic energy. The panels were made in Ohio and installed by local contractors.
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