You know all the beautiful sunshine we’ve been getting lately? Oh right. Probably a bad time for this press release to come out.
Ameren Corp. has planned their first solar power projects in St. Louis, Mo. and Illinois. This is a big step, as the company currently generates 85 percent of its power from coal, 10 to 15 percent from nuclear and a few watts from methane and hyrdoelectric sources.
Under mandate to transition 15 percent of its capacity to renewable sources by 2021, the company will be building a solar demonstration project at its headquarters in St. Louis. The project will consist of three different types of photovoltaic technology. Each array will be studied for efficiency, power production and reliability. This information will then be presented online for customers to evaluate.
So Ameren is trying out some new, greener methods of energy production! …because they have to. Oh but just listen to this confidence:
Ameren president Thomas Voss doesn’t think Missouri and Illinois have much renewable power potential. There isn’t a lot of wind power in Missouri except for the upper west corner. Illinois does a little better with wind. Neither state is very reliable for solar. Breck Washem, head of engineering firm Burns & McDonnell, agrees. Voss says “We can tell people really want to see it here.” Of course, state legislation and public demand don’t necessarily make it feasible on a larger scale.
Whooo! Hard not to get on that train to success huh?
Expect to see solar panels showing up under park benches and below area trees in the next few years.