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Nearly 14,000 solar panels are now producing up to 5.5 megawatts of electricity at the site of the former Rivesville Power Station. One megawatt of solar energy powers a national average of 173 homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The new solar facility is on approximately 27 acres of company-owned property. The site had gone unused since the Rivesville Power Station was deactivated in 2012. Mon Power and Potomac Edison used 63 local union workers for construction at the site, and the solar panels, racking system steel and supporting electrical equipment were made in the United States, FirstEnergy said.

FirstEnergy recently began construction this fall on a third project. It is in Berkeley County.

Small solar installations built by the stateÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s two power utilities ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” American Electric Power and FirstEnergy ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” are permitted under Senate Bill 583, which was enacted by the West Virginia Legislature in 2020 after heated debate. Some legislators objected to the bill because they saw it as a threat to coal, even though the power produced by small solar is miniscule compared with what a large coal-burning plant or a small gas-fired peaker plant make.

During the debate, State Commerce Secretary Ed Gaunch and Development Office Executive Director Mike Graney told lawmakers that many Fortune 500 companies will not consider locating in places that rely solely on fossil fuels for energy production. Perhaps by coincidence ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” but probably not ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” 2020 was the year Nucor Steel, which often calls attention to its commitment to using as much green energy in its steel mills, announced plans for what will be a $3.1 billion investment in Mason County, the first of at least three large-scale industrial projects aimed at using or producing renewable energy.

During the legislative session, Graney told the Senate Finance Committee, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œNot having, frankly, the solar box checked is a problem, and weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve heard that from a lot of different companies.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

The limitations of solar power in Appalachia are well-known and donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t need to be rehashed here again. But what other uses can waste sites for retired power plants offer?

Coal-burning power plants leave legacy costs behind when they close. Ash piles and sludge landfills are among them. They are similar to brownfield sites in this area where factories and chemical plants operated with little to no regard for what they left behind. Small solar installations could well be the best use for some of these sites until technology finds better uses for the acreage.