There are now more than 50,000 solar panels linked together in an array just east of Watervliet and they have become Indiana Michigan Power Company’s fourth solar plant to go online in the past year alone. The Watervliet Solar Power Plant, which 53,750 solar panels over a 35 acres site, is now generating energy for I&M Customers.
The new solar plant, just east of Watervliet combines more than 50,000 solar panels to generate up to 4.6-megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 650 homes annually. Combined with the three solar plants that were already online, I&M’s four plants now have the capacity to generate nearly 15-megawatts of electricity – enough to power more than 2,000 homes annually. The plants were built as part of an I&M pilot project to add company-owned-and-operated solar plants to its diverse generation mix.
In addition to generating renewable green energy for customers, the four plants offer I&M the opportunity to evaluate the performance of different types of panels located in different geographic areas of its service territory. I&M, which is an operating unit of American Electric Power, is partnering with Electric Power Research Institute to measure the solar plants’ performance as well as studying how the power is connected to the electric grid. I&M will use the information as it expands its solar generation in the future.
Paul Chodak III is President & Chief Operating Officer for I&M. He was at the ground breaking for the Watervliet plant back in early June and tells us, “I&M is dedicated to serving customers in the ways they want to be served, and many customers have told us they want more renewable energy.” Chodak adds, “Solar power is good for our customers, it’s good for our company and it’s good for the environment.”
He also notes, “The addition of these solar plants comes as I&M advances in its transition toward less use of coal. In fact, even before these plants came online, I&Ms’ generation last year was 60-percent emission-free.”
I&M’s first solar plant – Deer Creek, just south of Marion, Indiana.– went online late last year. Two South Bend-area plants – Olive, just east of New Carlisle, and Twin Branch, just outside of Mishawaka – went online this past summer.
In addition to the solar power plants, I&M buys power from three Hoosier wind farms. I&M expects to continue adding more large-scale solar power plants and wind energy in the future. System wide, AEP plans to spend $1 billion on renewable energy generation over the next three years.
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its 2,450 employees serve more than 589,000 customers. It operates 2,600-MW of coal-fired generation in Indiana, 2,160-MW of nuclear generation in Michigan and 22-MW of hydro generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 450-MW of purchased wind generation and, by the end of 2016, approximately 15-MW of large-scale solar generation.
The aerial photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market was provided by I&M and shows the 35 acre site and more than 53,000 solar panels now generating power for the company in Watervliet.
