Clean Energy Pathways, Inc. (CPWY)

[The Cheap Investor]

1 MW Solar Farm Completed in North Carolina
Posted by Joanna Schroeder – May 20th, 2011

Murphy, North Carolina a small community in Cherokee County, has a new 1 megawatt (MW) solar farm designed, engineered, procured, installed, and managed by ESA Renewables. The solar power system is located on 16 acres in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. In order to optimize the installation and ensure maximum energy generation, 26 feet of dirt was leveled. The power generated by the solar system will be sold back to the Tennessee Valley Authority, who manages the local utility grid.

http://domesticfuel.com/2011/05/20/1-mw-solar-farm-completed-in-north-carolina/

Why would the Tennessee Valley Authority buy power from ESA Renewables? Why wouldn't they supply the power themselves instead of buying it retail from ESA Renewables, which I'm sure would be much more expensive. It simply doesn't make sense for a power company to buy power from a competitor unless there was some form of clean air act imposed by the government which forces them to do so.