The American Clean Power Association (ACP) hosted the “A Fuel For Thought” panel at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Business Summit this past August. The event allowed the public to come and ask questions about how renewable energy could uplift the West Virginia economy.
The state, once the coal capital of the world, is installing more clean energy systems like wind and solar power. According to ACP, it’s projected to generate around $14 million in annual revenue while currently employing 1,200 citizens and powering more than 240,000 homes.
“West Virginia is an energy state,” Rep. Carol Miller said in ACP’s video of the event. “We have been fueling our country forever.”
BHE Renewables, American Electric Power, and Form Energy attended the panel. They discussed updates to West Virginia’s cleantech operations and how the state is meeting the call of the new green economy.
“Demand for electric power is soaring in a way we had not anticipated,” Jason Grumet, ACP CEO, said at the panel.
He added that 78% of all new electricity for the United States grid came from renewable sources. Recent data from the International Renewable Energy Agency shows the worldwide rate in 2023 was about 85%.
As the renewable sector continues booming, more jobs will be added, and more workers will be needed. Grumet says more than 500,000 employees need to be hired in the next decade. Several workers in oil or coal can transfer their skills over to renewables.
Factories are opening up across West Virginia, some repurposing old facilities to meet the growing demand for clean power. Sen. Joe Manchin explained people are going to work in solar, wind, microchip, and other renewable energy-related manufacturing. Towns that were once reliant on coal for their economy have a lifeline.
“All of this is coming to West Virginia,” Manchin said. “We had $8 billion in new investments.”
One such factory will be Titanium Metals Corporation’s (Timet) Ravenswood titanium plant. The facility will be linked to BHE Renewables’ solar energy facility nearby and is expected to create hundreds of jobs.
It will run entirely on the microgrid and be the first titanium facility powered by clean energy. The factory will create titanium components for aerospace and defense contracts.
ACP says that since August 2022, there have been more than $500 billion in cleantech investments in the U.S. It’s added more than 160 manufacturing facilities and 100,000 new jobs. West Virginia is becoming a model for former fossil fuel states to model after their embrace of the new economy.
“I’ve never been to another state that works so closely together across government and industry to try to get to great outcomes,” Bill Fehrman, president and CEO of American Electric Power, said at the event.
