Buckeye Power’s renewable energy assets include:
Wind/Solar Demonstration Projects and OurSolar
Electric cooperative R&D projects were established to install and monitor small wind and solar (less than 25 kilowatts) systems and share the performance data on-line with students, interested cooperative members, and the general public. Projects include a wind turbine at Indian Lake High School in Logan County and a solar panel at Butler Rural Electric Cooperative in Oxford.
OurSolar Powering the Co-op community - ONE RAY AT A TIME.
See how we have made renewable energy easier for everyone.
Two Biogas generation projects came on line in the fall of 2008. Buckeye Power contracted to purchase all the output from the Bridgewater Dairy (1.2 megawatts) and Wenning Poultry (1.8 megawatts) manure-to-methane digester systems, the first of their kind in the state.
These large-scale agricultural operations constructed anaerobic manure digesters to accept the waste produced by their cows and laying hens. Bacteria break down the manure and produce methane gas, which is captured and used to run engine-and-generator sets. Interconnects provided by Midwest and North Western electric cooperatives allow the renewable energy to flow to Buckeye Power. The farm operators have solved the problem of what to do with tons of animal waste, and they have a new revenue stream from power sales. In addition, the residue from the digesters is a sterile organic fertilizer that may be sold in bulk for application on fields, pastures, and gardens.
Envirowatts (Green Energy Option for Co-op Members)
Electric cooperative members can elect to purchase green energy through this program. Renewable energy comes from Buckeye Power’s biogas and landfill gas generation systems and the Story County Wind Energy Center.
Hydroelectric Generation
One of the oldest and most reliable forms of non-combustion generation is hydroelectric power. Using the motive force of a river flowing through dams, hydroelectric power is produced as water turns turbines to energize generators. Buckeye Power has a 55-megawatt entitlement to hydroelectric power from the New York Power Authority, the largest state-owned power organization in the nation and a non-profit provider of electricity to electric cooperatives, community-owned electric systems, companies, and private utilities. This power is primarily from the Niagara (90 percent) and the St. Lawrence rivers.