At the Log Lunch talk on March 10th, the phrase Gabe Selig wanted his audience to come away with was “energy parks.” Selig founded Southport Power, LLC. in 2005 and has been working to develop energy parks all over the country ever since. The goal of the company is to provide clean, green energy from consolidated renewable energy “parks” that integrate several power systems in one area. The energy park Selig is planning for southern Vermont will integrate a large array of top of the line photovoltaic solar panels and two small windmills.
Selig and his company had to go through a long process to obtain a contract for the project. The state of Vermont will pay artificially high prices for renewable power, almost five times the usual whole sale price, but for a limited number of projects. Southport Power entered a lottery system to win contracts with the state for this and several other sites. The company has seven more potential sites still in the lottery process. When looking for potential sites for energy parks, Selig concentrated on abandoned ski areas, which are generally rural and unused, but with heavy electrical infrastructure. At the company’s current site in Vermont, large industrial power lines run through the property, making it, as Selig says “beach front property for this kind of work.” Having major power lines already onsite greatly reduces the cost and bureaucratic red tape the company has to wade through before making real progress.
Selig made the argument that solar power is a practical option for Vermont and for other places in the North East. Solar power is extremely reliable, an increasingly important trait as non-renewable energy sources become less dependable. The predictions Southport Power makes about when and how much power their solar panels will generate are accurate 99% of the time. This trait makes solar power in Vermont just as viable as the company’s solar power projects in Puerto Rico.
The process of funding, designing and getting approval of an energy park is a long one, but Selig and Southport Power are dedicated to improving the reliability and environmental effects of our power sources.
By Molly McCentee ‘14