Expect to see the theme of green continue in the area served by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The nation’s largest public power provider offers multiple programs for homes and businesses that encompass opportunities to move toward renewable energy. Tennessee is one of seven states served by TVA.
In the TVA Renewables Highlights report for 2022, it announced a 57% reduction in carbon emissions, “compared to 2005 baseline standards. We are working to increase that number to 70% by 2030 through innovation and technologies that we believe will deliver meaningful, impactful progress.” It calls these efforts TVA Green. Among what it considers clean sources of power are wind, biomass, solar, hydro and nuclear.
Part of this TVA Green effort is just in the early planning stages, yet it would be significant in scale. For instance, the agency issued in July 2022 a Request for Proposal (RFP) for up to 5,000 megawatts of new projects. These would involve clean, carbon-free energy ideas. The timetable for putting these yet-to-be-determined projects online would be more than five years in the future, eyeing the year 2029.
Energy storage is another piece of the complex puzzle of making the power business greener and more resilient. So, TVA reported that its Vonore Battery Energy Storage System is supposed to be up and running by the end of 2023. This could support future additions of solar energy that TVA plans to add in the coming years, by allowing large-scale storage of what it produces.
As reported previously here at KnoxTNToday.com, clean energy is remaining in the forefront of what TVA leaders are reporting to industry groups like the Advanced Energy Business Council. Increasingly, this large power provider is responding to what industry and communities are asking for in terms of sustainability.
Link to TVA Renewables Highlights here
Next week: how the TVA Green Invest program is coming to fruition in Knoxville.
Anne Brock is marketing coordinator for Solar Alliance. She can be reached at: 865-221-8349 or abrock@solaralliance.com