Two more sections of the utilities’ solar facility now completed and operational
(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – Construction is complete and two new sections of LG&E and KU’s Solar Share facility in Simpsonville are now fully operational and producing energy for subscribing customers. Thanks to subscribers of sections three and four – which include more than 1,300 LG&E and KU residential customers and several business customers including Louisville-area nonprofit Center for Women and Families, Louisville-based printing and fulfillment services company V.G. Reed & Sons, and the Campbellsville division of global industrial services company Ingersoll Rand – development of the Solar Share site is now 50% complete.
“Watching the site develop and knowing it is a direct result of our customers’ interest and participation has been both exciting and rewarding,” said LG&E and KU Vice President-Customer Services Eileen Saunders. “We developed this program in response to their desire to support local solar generation and we’re pleased to continue helping all of our customer categories advance their personal and professional sustainability goals.”
The subscription-based Solar Share program is a cost-effective option available to the utilities’ residential, business and industrial customers who want to support solar energy for as little as 20 cents per day.
When energy is produced by the facility, customers earn credits on their monthly bills based on their subscription level. By participating in the program, customers get the benefits from solar energy without having to pay the added up-front and long-term expenses that come when installing and maintaining a private solar system. Since July 2019, the facility has produced more than 2 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy for participating customers.
LG&E and KU’s primary contract partner for sections three and four, Solar Alliance Inc., completed construction of the sections this month. Both consist of 1,150 solar panels.
A total of eight 500-kilowatt Solar Share sections are planned for the Simpsonville facility, for a total of 4 megawatts. Construction of each section is completed as each becomes fully subscribed. The utility is currently accepting enrollments for the fifth section, which is now nearly 80% subscribed.
Customers interested in subscribing to the Solar Share program or learning more about LG&E and KU’s variety of renewable energy programs and initiatives can visit the company website at lge-ku.com/environment/solar.
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Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve more than 1.3 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 332,000 natural gas and 425,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 564,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.
