Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), an operating company of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is proud to announce construction is underway on its largest solar generating facility, which will serve the Michiana area.
The St. Joseph Solar Farm will have a capacity of 20 megawatts – enough energy to power 2,700 homes annually. The facility is located adjacent to the Indiana Toll Road between Bittersweet and Cleveland roads in St. Joseph County. The facility will have approximately 57,000 solar panels.
I&M has reduced its total CO2 emissions more than 60 percent in the last decade, and more than two-thirds of I&M’s generation fleet is emission free. The new solar facility builds on I&M’s commitment to a sustainable future.
"The St. Joseph Solar Farm will provide I&M customers with local green resources, to be used by local homes and businesses in addition to helping to attract businesses looking for renewable energy options," said Toby Thomas, I&M President and Chief Operating Officer. "I&M is dedicated to transforming our generation fleet for our customers and the communities we serve. This facility will provide boundless clean energy options for the area and educational opportunities for future generations."
I&M will work in partnership with the University of Notre Dame on the St. Joseph Solar Farm. Notre Dame is committing to support 40 percent of the renewable attributes of the facility to uphold its sustainability goals. I&M and Notre Dame will collaborate to capitalize on educational opportunities and research benefits.
"Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si, the University of Notre Dame has made great strides over the past five years to reduce our carbon footprint in order to better care for the environment," said University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. "We are proud to partner with Indiana Michigan Power on the St. Joseph Solar Farm as another resource to further our commitment to renewable energy and advance solar power research."
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), I&M and its contractors are limiting in-person visits during this process to ensure the safety and health of the public and company representatives. Crews will also follow all CDC and local county health department ordinances.
St. Joseph Solar Farm is expected to operational by spring of 2021. Additional details are available at IndianaMichiganPower.com/StJosephSolar.
I&M currently operates four solar generation facilities. Three are in Indiana – Marion,
Mishawaka and New Carlisle – and one in Watervliet, Michigan. The solar facilities already in
operation generate nearly 15 megawatts of electricity, with enough energy to power 2,000 homes annually.
I&M allows customers to voluntarily put solar and wind power to work in your home or business at a reduced cost with the IM Green program. With newly lowered costs, customers in both Indiana and Michigan can support green energy for less than 1 cent per kilowatt hour per month. If you are a typical residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt hours per month, you can attribute:
? 10 percent of your energy use to renewable green energy for just 60 cents per month.
? Half of your energy use for just $3 per month.
? 100 percent of you energy use for just $6 per month.
I&M can also partner with businesses and communities to customize green energy projects that suit your needs. To learn more or participate, please visit IndianaMichiganPower.com/IMGreen.
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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 599,000 customers. More than two-thirds of its energy delivered in 2019 was emission-free. I&M has at its availability various sources of generation including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, more than 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Schnee’ Garrett
Indiana Michigan Power Communications
574-283-1852
smgarrett@aep.com