On March 22, I had the honor of attending the dedication ceremony for the new Lowman Energy Center (LEC) in Leroy, and I learned many things from the trip.
First, some particulars about the plant. The 710-megawatt (MW) LEC is the latest and largest generating facility to be placed into service by our power provider, Power-South Energy Cooperative. It is 1 of the most advanced and efficient natural gas-generating plants in the United States and is capable of powering 300,000 homes.
Built on the site of the recently demolished Charles R. Lowman coal-fired power plant, LEC is immeasurably cleaner than its predecessor. The plant utilizes what’s called “combined cycle” technology.
In simple terms, the plant first generates power from burning natural gas to heat air, which is then pushed through a series of turbines similar to a jet engine. It then uses the exhausted heat from that combustion process to produce steam which turns more turbines.
Each of these turbines is connected to generators that produce electricity. In times of high demand, operators of the plant can increase power production capacity by igniting duct burners, which act like turbochargers on an engine.
What this plant can do is very impressive. However, to stand on the property and look at the plant is somewhat anticlimactic. I’ll explain.
The visibly impressive parts: It’s very clean, obviously new, shiny, organized, oh, and did I say clean?
The anticlimactic: It’s not nearly as big as one might think. The whole plant along with cooling towers, parking lots, and additional support structures cannot occupy more than 20 acres. In fact, the actual plant itself sits on what looks like just 2 football fields worth of space, if that much.
By comparison, last year PowerSouth placed into service its first solar generating facility in southern Covington County. The 80-MW-capable solar farm covers 735 acres, and when the sun is shining can power 19,000 homes.
Less than 20 acres to produce 710 MW of always-on electricity, versus 735 acres to produce 80 MW of highly intermittent electricity.
My biggest takeaway from the LEC dedication was that no matter the technology we use, there is an environmental cost to producing electricity.
Is solar the answer to our carbon-free energy future? Simple math says we’d have to build a 6,430-acre solar farm to match LEC’s production capacity. But that’s not enough. Solar only produces when the sun is shining.
LEC is an always-on generating facility, and we are an energy-hungry society. At some point, we are going to have to decide what we’re willing to sacrifice for our energy future.
Thank you, and while we enjoy what is hopefully a sunny and warm Memorial Day, let us take a moment to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedoms.