Alabama Power Company on Tuesday announced that it is earnestly seeking proposals for potential renewable energy projects, continuing the company’s longstanding commitment to a diverse generation portfolio that delivers reliable, affordable electricity to people across the Yellowhammer State.

The company said in a release that it plans on October 19 to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for renewable energy resources. The RFP will also explore and evaluate the potential of renewable energy storage technologies, and the deadline to submit a proposal will be December 1.

“We’re always looking for ways to meet the needs of our customers while continuing to deliver the clean, safe, reliable, affordable energy they expect and deserve,” stated John Kelley, Alabama Power’s director of Forecasting and Resource Planning.

“With renewable energy technologies continuing to improve and energy prices always changing, we want to explore the possibilities that the market may offer for our customers,” he continued.

Alabama Power outlined the following about the RFP:

Under the renewables RFP, a variety of projects will be accepted for consideration. They include, among others, solar, wind and geothermal projects, energy from tidal or ocean current, and low-impact hydro and biomass. Projects involving gas derived from sewage treatment processes, solid municipal waste or landfills, and heat and power projects also may be submitted. The proposals can be energy-purchase contracts with terms of 10 or 25 years or turnkey projects. The submitted projects must be at least 5 megawatts but no larger than 80 megawatts. The projects must be located in Alabama and connect to the company’s electric system. Alabama Power would receive all the environmental attributes from the projects.

It should further be noted that Alabama Power will look to pair potential projects with interested industrial and large commercial customers.

Following the RFP deadline at 6:00 p.m. CT on December 1, it is expected to take several months to analyze the projects to determine which, if any, would be beneficial to Alabama Power customers. Projects also must be subsequently approved by the Public Service Commission if submitted for consideration by the company.

For more information about the RFP, click here.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn