ST. LOUIS, May 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren Missouri
is taking off on a forward-thinking plan to increase the amount of
solar energy available to customers. Today, the company announced
plans for a new solar generation facility to be built at St. Louis
Lambert International Airport. Energy produced there would be
available for its customers through the Community Solar
Program.
"What better way to showcase that we're a progressive region
committed to finding innovative solutions to energy generation than
by placing a large solar field at the airport," said Mike Mueller, vice president of economic and
technology development at Ameren. "Ameren Missouri continues to
lead the way by investing in more clean energy delivered reliably
and affordably to our customers."
Customer Choice
The plan calls for Ameren Missouri, a
subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), to build up to a one
megawatt facility at Lambert. Once the plan is approved by city
officials and state regulators, Ameren Missouri customers can
sign-up for blocks of solar generated energy.
"This is a simple solution for customers to take part in solar
generation," said Dan Lidisky,
director of technology and renewable development at Ameren.
"Nothing is installed on a customer's roof, and the experts at
Ameren Missouri take care of maintaining the solar panels."
The airport is an ideal location for solar panels. There is an
abundance of open land that would otherwise go unused. Panels would
be positioned away from runways and out of the line-of-sight of
pilots taking off or coming in for a landing.
"We're proud to be a part of this proposed project because St.
Louis Lambert International Airport is heavily focused on
impactful, environmentally sustainable projects and this is another
positive piece that aligns with our mission," said Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, airport director.
How it Works
The program will be open to all Ameren
Missouri residential and small business customers. Once the
subscription period opens later this year, interested customers can
sign up for 100 kilo-watt-hour blocks of solar generation capacity.
Customers can subscribe for the equivalent of up to half of their
average electric usage based on the previous 12 months' usage. A
limited number of blocks will be made available, at a price yet to
be determined. Once the program is fully subscribed, construction
will begin. Solar generation could start as soon as next spring.
Customers interested in the program can go to
AmerenMissouri.com/communitysolar for more information.
"Based on what our customers are telling us, we believe there is
a strong interest," Lidisky said. "Only those who sign up for the
program will pay the cost related to installation of this new solar
generation facility."
Long-Term Plan
Ameren Missouri is focused on adding
500 megawatts of new renewable energy generation. In addition to
this solar project, Ameren Missouri recently launched a second
solar program targeted at businesses interested in hosting solar
generation on their property. The company currently operates the
5.7 megawatt O'Fallon Renewable Energy Center, which is capable of
producing nearly 8 million kilowatt-hours of energy from the sun's
rays each year.
Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for
more than 100 years, and the company's electric rates are among the
lowest in the nation. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the
quality of life for its 1.2 million electric and 127,000 natural
gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers 64
counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater
St. Louis area. For more
information, visit Ameren.com/Missouri or follow us at @AmerenMissouri or
Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.
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SOURCE Ameren Missouri