Frostburg: A few miles south of Frostburg is a brand-new solar power plant that has the capacity to power up to 3,000 households in the surrounding community annually. Comprising hundreds of solar panels, the Jade Meadow Solar Energy Facility is linked to a neighboring substation located on Klondike Road.
Solar Energy Farm
It is situated on around 85 acres of once undeveloped ground that was used for coal mining. Allegany Coal and Land Co. was the seller of the land. The facility is run by the New York-based energy company REV Renewables. The organization has multiple projects across the nation where various renewable energy sources most notably solar energy farms have been erected on reclaimed, vacant land. After construction was finished in March of this year, the Jade Meadow complex held a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The plant will be a fantastic contribution to the local power grid, according to Mike Vogt, senior vice president of development at REV Renewables. Anyone in the area can utilize the grid’s electricity.
Generation Of 540 Watt Power
Power providers can receive the generated (solar) electricity. Because of the nature of physics, the electrons produced by this solar do get utilized locally. According to Vogt, the facility’s power can also be transported across portions of the mid-Atlantic. This is true because the solar farm is but a tiny component of a larger, networked electricity system. Each of the 50,000 modules in the plant can generate 540 watts of power. Summertime is when the solar farm will produce the most energy, which is ideal for when people use air conditioners more frequently and use more electricity at home. Due to the area’s former use as a coal mine, environmental effects were already minimal when the land was acquired in 2018.
Donations
The meadow had previously been cleared of most of its trees, while some remained. To reduce the carbon footprint of the solar farm even more, pollinator habitat zones were planted all over it. Even though the severe drought this summer has hindered their growth, they might still have an influence. The Robotics and Engineering in Allegany County Together Inc. Program, or REACT, received a $5,000 donation from REV Renewables. The donation will support the academic growth of Allegany County school-age children in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Children in the county can participate in the REACT program, which aims to ignite their interest in STEM and prepare them for future employment in the subject.