Case Study #5

The Lover’s Lane Soccer Complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky has a 36 kW solar power plant owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The power plant consists of 960 solar PV (photovoltaic) modules mounted on top of a pavilion roof which covers picnic tables and benches along the perimeter of soccer fields. The power generated by the PV panels is routed through an on-site inverter and then added to the electricity grid. Consumers in qualifying TVA districts can choose to purchase the power generated at this site through TVA’s Green Power Switch Program.

The Lover’s Lane solar installation was dedicated in June 2001 and can generate approximately 53,900 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. This equals the annual electricity demand of four typical Kentucky homes.

The Green Power Switch Program enables TVA customers to purchase “green power” in 150 kwh blocks. The table below lists which Kentucky power distributors participate in the GPS Program, and it works like this: Utility customers purchase green power in 150 kwh blocks. Each block purchased adds $4 to the customer’s electric bill, and ensures that TVA will place150 kwh of green power onto its distribution grid. Customers can choose to cover as much of their monthly electric usage as they wish through the purchase of these green power blocks.

The green power sold by TVA is generated at various solar power plants in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia, a wind farm located at Buffalo Mountain in Tennessee, and a wastewater treatment methane plant in Tennessee. The independent Green-e Program certifies that TVA’s GPS Program meets the standards for green power established by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions.

TVA’s renewable energy production amounts to only 0.01 % of their total supply mix. Of this amount, 0.5 % is from solar, 26.5 % is from methane gas, and 73.0 % is from wind. The great majority of TVA’s electricity is generated from fossil fuels (61%), nuclear (30%), and hydropower (9%).

Kentucky Power Companies Participating in the Green Power Switch Program