TNC in West Virginia Goes Solar

The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia (TNC) has installed a 32-panel solar array atop a new carport at its Elkins office that is sized to offset more than 100 percent of the operation’s electrical usage. The 15kw array will significantly reduce operating costs by providing fixed-price electricity for at least the next two decades, allowing the local chapter of a global non-profit to strategically invest more money directly into conservation work in West Virginia. An electric vehicle charging port was also installed.

TNC has long been touting the benefits of renewable energy as a new pathway for economic development, and this is the next step in living that value.

“We have been solar advocates in West Virginia for many years through our policy work and our Solar on Mine Lands Initiative,” says Eriks Brolis, director of economic development and strategic initiatives for TNC WV. “This is us doubling down on our commitment and helping seat the conversation around bringing a diversified energy mix to West Virginia.”

In 2018, Brolis and other energy leaders drafted the Roadmap for Solar on Mine Lands to help highlight the immense opportunity for repurposing former mine lands for clean energy in the Mountain State. More than five years later, the solar industry across the region has grown on all fronts, from residential and commercials installations to larger industrial projects, that promise to yield billions of dollars in new investment.

“There is an increasing demand for renewable energy from residents and business across the state because it is clean and affordable,” says Brolis. “It is one of the cheapest forms of energy – and it is fixed-cost. And because our system is designed to offset more than 100 percent of the office’s energy costs, we will actually be putting energy back into the grid.

“If we are going to shift the needle around energy diversification, then we have to walk the walk and talk the talk to what we’re advocating for,” explained Brolis. “This is to show that solar power can and should be a meaningful contributor to the state’s energy needs.”

In addition to the carport solar array and charging station, the West Virginia chapter received one of 75 electric vehicles (EVs) donated to TNC by Acura. With Acura’s support, we will be able to reduce our carbon emissions across our field operations, allowing us to rely more on renewable energy sources and helping us achieve TNC’s overall sustainability goals for 2030.

These projects are just a few of the efforts TNC is moving forward in the advanced energy space, including a solar system on an abandoned mine land in Mingo County and an agrivoltaics set up at the Coalfield Development Highwall site where farm animals graze under the panels while it provides shade.