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Renewable Energy
Shining new light on solar power
Walterboro Charleston
It took a lot of careful planning
photos by Mic Smith
and hard work, but South Carolina’s largest solar energy farm is up and running. Now the sun has to do its part. The Colleton Solar Farm, a joint project between South Carolina’s electric cooperatives, Santee Cooper and TIG Sun Energy, is a first-of-itskind collaboration designed to test the true potential for solar energy in South Carolina. With more than 10,000 photovoltaic panels arrayed on a 27-acre tract, the new facility has a peak generating capacity of 3 megawatts of electricity on clear days when the sun is directly overhead. In 2014, if the weather follows normal patterns, the plant could produce as much as 4.468 megawatthours, or enough electricity to supply the annual needs of 300 South Carolina homes. Due to the intermittent nature of solar power, the electricity produced at the solar farm will cost more per kilowatt-hour than conventional electricity supplies. South Carolina’s electric cooperatives will offer the electricity generated by the solar facility to industrial customers across the state, while studying better ways to integrate renewable energy into the conventional power grid. “The Colleton Solar Farm is
Completed ahead of schedule, the solar farm began feeding power into the grid in mid-December. You’ll be able to spot the solar farm on the east side of Interstate 95 near Walterboro. Half of the 10,000 photovoltaic panels at the facility will pivot to follow the sun’s track through the sky. The other half will remain in a fixed position.
a real-world, full-scale learning tool,” says Ron Calcaterra, CEO of Central Electric Power Cooperative, the wholesale power provider for the state’s electric cooperatives. “The question co-ops want to answer is how we can design a consumer-friendly product that makes solar power available to our members in a reliable, affordable and economically sustainable way.”
Web Extra Video Visit SCLiving.coop
to see a time-lapse video of the Colleton Solar Farm coming to life.
S.C.RAMBLE! By Charles Joyner, See Answer ON Page 35
Fill In the blanks The pundit says, “Housemaids eventually _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .” m c l e m r l a s e b l Use the capital letters in the code key below to fill in the blanks above. D E N O R S T U spells “scramble”
energy efficiency tip
Keep your electric bills under control this winter. Take little measures like turning down the thermostat, washing clothes in cold water, swapping out lightbulbs for high-efficiency versions, and using microwaves or toaster ovens to cook. Find more ways to save at TogetherWeSave.com. Source: TogetherWeSave.com scliving.coop | january 2014 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING
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