A Balanced Portfolio
Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives take a balanced approach to renewable energy. They utilize affordable coal-fired generation for the bulk of our member’s power. In addition to this base load generation, Buckeye Power has made significant investments in renewable energy on behalf of Ohio cooperative families.
Buckeye Power’s base-load generation assets serve the day-to-day needs of Ohio’s cooperative members. These facilities are best-in-class, outfitted with state-of-the-art environmental controls.
- Cardinal Power Plant is located in Brilliant, Ohio. Cardinal is a coal-fired power plant that has a generating capacity of 1,230 megawatts.
- Clifty Creek and Kyger Creek plants, owned by the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation. These two coal-fired power plants have a combined capacity of 434 megawatts.
Buckeye Power’s natural gas-fueled peaking facilities serve Ohio cooperative members on the coldest and hottest days of the year.
- The Robert P. Mone Plant is in Convoy, Ohio. It is a natural gas power plant with 510 megawatts of capacity.
- The Greenville Generation Station located in Greenville, Ohio, is a natural gas plant with 200 megawatts of generation capacity.
Hydropower from upstate New York: 55-megawatt entitlement
Buckeye Power began receiving attractively priced hydropower from the New York Power Authority (NYPA) in 2004. NYPA is the largest state-owned power organization in the nation and a not-for-profit provider of generation to electric cooperatives, community-owned electric systems, and private utilities. Power comes primarily from the Niagara (90 percent) and St. Lawrence rivers.
Gas generation at landfills: 9.6 megawatts of methane generation
Buckeye Power receives methane-produced power from the Hancock County Landfill and Suburban Regional Landfill (in Perry County), using interconnections provided by Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative and South Central Power.
Solar Energy: 2.1 megawatts of solar energy
Buckeye Power installed solar energy arrays at 23 locations throughout Ohio for the OurSolar community solar project. Individual sizes range from 25 kilowatts to more than 600 kilowatts. Local member cooperatives may offer subscriptions to these solar farms as an alternative source of generation. These subscriptions provide direct access to solar generation to electric consumers who otherwise may not have the means or ability to have their own rooftop systems. The Energy Cooperative has generated nearly 455,000 kWh of electricity through the community solar panels located near Utica, Ohio. This has offset nearly 682,000 pounds of CO2 emissions. Each panel has generated enough energy to power eight lights for a year and power a 400w refrigerator for just over seven months.
Anaerobic digesters at livestock farms: 4.45 megawatts from biogas projects
Buckeye Power purchases the excess generation from animal waste anaerobic digester systems at four locations across the state. Bacteria breaks down the manure produced at these dairy, pork, and poultry operations to create the methane gas used to fuel engine-and-generator sets. Power flows onto the grid via interconnections with the member systems Consolidated, Midwest, North Western, and Paulding Putnam electric cooperatives.