Exelon marks more than one million megawatt-hours
of wind energy sold
Exelon provides enough electricity to power 40,000
homes annually
Kennett Square, PA— Exelon
Corporation celebrated more than one million megawatt-hours sold
as it entered its fifth year in the wind energy business.
Exelon has 20-year agreements
to purchase the power from Mill Run and Somerset wind farms, located
southeast of Pittsburgh, Waymart Wind Energy Center, near Scranton,
Pennsylvania and Mountaineer Wind Energy Center in Thomas, West
Virginia.
Since coming online in October
2001, the Mill Run and Somerset wind farms have produced about
250,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of emission-free electricity, or
enough electricity to supply more than 25,000 average homes. Mountaineer
began commercial operations in January 2003 and has produced about
500,000 MWh (enough for 50,000 homes) since then. Waymart came
online at the end of 2003 and has produced about 300,000 MWh (enough
for 30,000 homes) since then.
“The magnitude of voluntary
customer demand for wind-generated electricity has been gratifying
to us. The customers’ willingness to pay a premium for wind
energy has supported not only new construction of wind plants,
but also our involvement in the wholesale marketing of wind energy,”
said Mike Freeman, mid-market originator for Exelon Power Team.
“That’s exactly the way renewable energy markets are
supposed to work.”
In addition to residential customer
interest in wind energy, commercial customers in Pennsylvania
have accounted for some of the largest wind energy purchases in
the nation. In 2001, the University of Pennsylvania, Penn State
University, Carnegie Mellon University, Philadelphia Suburban
Water Corporation and Giant Eagle, Inc. announced the nation’s
five largest ever retail wind energy purchases.
Since 2001, commercial customers
such as the US Army, US Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania
Turnpike Commission and many others have declared their support
for wind energy by purchasing power from Pennsylvania wind farms.
Exelon’s wind portfolio,
at 154 megawatts, provides enough electricity to power about 40,000
homes annually.
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