Solar Power for Riverwalk in Davis, WV

A new power plant went online this morning in Davis, WV.  It began making electricity quietly and
without attracting much attention.  There was no belching smoke stack nor was there the mesmerizing whoosh whoosh of turbine blades.  Instead sunshine struck silicon wafers which quietly released a stream of electrons onto the utility grid.  The coffee house regulars who were reveling in a cup of good morning America didn’t even realize that above their heads, on the roof of the shop, clean renewable energy was being produced.

The 2.4 kW PV system is the latest solar electric system to go online in Allegheny Power’s West Virginia service area.  The system was contracted by Pete Johnson who owns the building, an old service station, in Davis. Pete is renovating the building to serve as commercial retail and office space.  Hypno Coffee, owned by Summer and Tony Williams is the first business to move in.  An outstanding retailer of outdoor adventure clothing and equipment, Highland Prospects, will move in to its space here sometime in June.  The Friends of the Blackwater rounds out the trio of renters in the old service station. They will occupy the suite that enjoys direct benefit from the fourteen 175-watt PV panels on the roof.

 Here's Chis tightening down the last of the fourteen 175-watt SolarWorld panels.

The PV panels will produce 3,000 kilowatt-hours each year.  That is enough power to run an efficient home. Excess power produced by the system will push back onto the utility grid. When excess is produced the meter will “turn backward” and register the net power consumed. This is called “net metering”. Producing power from the sun instead of from fossil fuels will eliminate the burning of 1.5 tons of coal and a resulting 5,800 lbs of CO₂ each year. Making power where it is consumed also reduces the burden on utility lines. Transmission of power over long distances is wasteful, destructive, and unnecessary. 

The net meter registered -15 kWh after the first eight hours of operation.  That means that 15 kilowatt-hours were pushed back onto the utility lines.

Renovation of the old service station into the new Blackwater Overlook building is the first project that Pete has initiated as part of the Riverwalk Davis project in downtown Davis.  Pete has a nice website that explains more about the vision for the acreage and abandon grocery store that are adjacent to the Blackwater Overlook building. A grand opening of the building is scheduled for the Summer Solstice on Saturday June 20. The opening will highlight the reuse of the building, its new tenants, and the benefits of distributed power generation – making power where we use it! 

Renovation at the Blackwater Overlook building.  Hypno Coffee is on the left and is a great place to catch a hot or iced beverage. This installation was fueled by Moca with whipped topping.

 Allegheny Power installing the bi-directional meter for net metering

A shot of the solar panels with the Hypno roaster stack and sewer vent - the roof work was an olfactory extravaganza!