The investor owned electric and gas utility, Ameren Corporation is continuing its major solar energy initiative, with a 5.7MW solar centre in Missouri.
With some utilities increasingly keen on solar, and the technology preferred over other sources for additional utility power, Ameren is to start constructing its multi-million-dollar O'Fallon Renewable Energy Center.
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Built in the city of O’Fallon, across 7.7 hectares of land already owned by Ameren, the renewable energy centre will have 19,000 solar panels installed to power 650 houses in the St. Louis area with clean energy.
The array should be complete by December, creating 50-70 construction jobs at a site opposite Ameren Missouri's Belleau substation in St. Charles County.
Warner Baxter, president and CEO of Ameren Missouri reiterated the new energy centre’s contribution to the utility’s commitment to renewables.
“We are building the largest investor-owned solar energy centre in Missouri history because Ameren Missouri is committed to powering the quality of life for our customers with cleaner energy derived from a diverse mix of energy sources, including renewables,” he said.
Ameren already has a has 100kW solar installation on its St. Louis headquarters, and truns the Maryland Heights Renewable Energy Center which turns landfill into energy, as well as assisting 800 residential and commercial solar installations with rebates and other incentives.
O'Fallon Mayor Bill Hennessy said about the utility's green credentials: “O'Fallon is proud of its reputation as a green community. The O'Fallon Renewable Energy Center will be an excellent complement to our city's environmental focus and will be a welcome boost to our economy with the construction jobs it will create.”
