The widespread adoption of renewable energy is not only a good indication of a change in popular thinking, but also highlights an increasingly economical and efficient way of generating electricity. A major Missouri utility, Ameren, has just announced an addition to the state’s renewable energy resources with a 400-megawatt wind farm. The long-term benefits of these projects have made them more and more attractive.
Renewable energy, for a state like Missouri, is a path towards energy independence. Traditional sources of energy come from imported coal, whereas renewable energy systems could potentially be developed within the state, thus reducing future imports. Does it make sense for states to be more energy independent?
From the related article:
Ameren to establish state’s largest wind farm in northeast Missouri
Ameren announced an agreement Monday to move forward with a 175-turbine wind farm in northeast Missouri — which, when constructed, would be the largest in the state.
The St. Louis-based electric utility expects the project to break ground in summer 2019 in Adair and Schuyler counties. The 400-megawatt wind farm will be built by an affiliate of the utility-scale renewable energy company, Terra-Gen, and acquired by Ameren after its completion.
Ameren — which generates about two-thirds of its electricity from an aging fleet of coal-fired power plants — hailed the announcement as its “first major step” in realizing the renewable energy goals outlined in a 20-year outlook it submitted to state regulators last year.
Contact U.I.I. if you’d like to partner in more renewable energy studies!