Energy Portfolio
A Q & A with West Virginia Energy Experts COMPILED BY EMILY RICE
West Virginia ranked fifth nationwide in total energy production in 2019 , accounting for 5 % of the U . S .’ s total energy . While riding the waves of the past few years , including a pandemic , global supply chain disruptions and workforce shortages , West Virginians proved their resiliency once again . Despite obstacles decades in the making , advances in technology and the exploration of new opportunities provide excitement within West Virginia ’ s energy portfolio .
According to the U . S . Energy Information Administration Independent Statistics & Analysis , coal is responsible for
84 % of West Virginia ’ s energy production , with natural gas accounting for 8 %. In 2020 , coal-fired electric power plants accounted for 88 % of West Virginia ’ s electricity net generation . Renewable energy resources — primarily hydroelectric power and wind energy — contributed almost 6 % and natural gas provided more than 3 %.
To learn more about the challenges the energy sector faces and what the state is doing to help these industries reach their full potential , West Virginia Executive magazine sat down with leaders in the state ’ s energy production .
WVE : How can West Virginia support energy efficiency ?
Bragg : Energy efficiency is the cheapest , cleanest form of energy , sometimes called negawatts . It offers domestic jobs that cannot be outsourced because the work is done on buildings that don ’ t move . This wide-ranging industry needs workers ’ hands and brains , from the construction trades to architecture and engineering . West Virginia may support the building performance industry through recruitment , training , mentoring , apprenticeship , continuing education and market development .
WVE : Tell us about West Virginia ’ s wind turbines and what it means to have a mature wind turbine industry in the state ?
Bragg : In the early 2000s , Truewind Solutions studied wind potential for West Virginia and reported the state had the capacity for 3,800 megawatts ( MW ) of wind on private lands . At the time , there was one operating wind farm with 66 MW of capacity . Today , the state has 742 MW of installed capacity . The industry is mature in the sense that it has a multi-decade history and that developers have built out the easier-to-capture wind . West Virginia ’ s mountainous geography means excellent wind resources but more difficult construction . There is certainly growth opportunity as developers can repower existing projects . Subtracting the existing 742 MW from the 3,800 MW of potential leaves 3,058 MW .
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE