With an extensive background in civil engineering, Rudy Warnock is the former owner of a Mississippi engineering firm. A particular interest of Rudy Warnock is renewable technologies and how they are rapidly changing the nation’s infrastructure.
One major project on the horizon is the Tennessee Valley Authority’s new contract for solar power. At present, the federal power agency, spanning seven states, obtains less than 3 percent of its energy from the sun and wind. Nuclear energy provides 39 percent of power needs, natural gas provides 26 percent, coal provides 21 percent, and hydropower provides the remainder.
The recently awarded contracts are part of a new “Green Invest” program that encompasses a 100-megawatt solar farm in Obion County, Tennessee, and a 200-megawatt solar farm that includes batteries with 200 megawatt-hours of storage capacity in Lowndes County, Mississippi.
By 2028, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s integrated resource plan is expected to achieve solar capacity totaling 1,500 to 8,000 megawatts. Providing power to states from Virginia to Alabama, the Tennessee Valley Authority is also in the process of closing aging coal power plants that are no longer cost-competitive.
Rudy Warnock 