Empowering local renewable energy
Who We Are
Our Purpose
Pickering Energy Solutions supports the transition to a clean energy infrastructure by deploying and operating renewable energy systems within the Central Appalachian Region and beyond.
Our Story
PES was formed in 2012 to provide solar energy systems in the US and establish a framework for our work in Africa providing power to clinics, orphanages, hospitals, and schools.
Giving Back
We’re committed to facilitating renewable energy use locally. We donate solar systems and electric vehicle charging stations to our local communities and non-profits as another way to support our transition to a cleaner future.
Domestic Projects
International Projects
Gigawatt-Hours (GWh)
of Production
Kilowatts (kW)
of Solar Installed
80+
50+
3,000
16.7
What We Do
Bringing cost-effective clean energy to communities near and far.
USA Projects
Development | Operations | Maintenance
Consulting | Commissioning
We’re proud to operate and maintain a fleet of over 40 private distributed energy generators across the Mid-Ohio Valley, providing affordable and reliable clean energy to local institutions and organizations. If you have a facility you think would be a great candidate for solar, we’re always looking for the next opportunity to get more renewables on our local electricity grid.
Africa Missions
Philanthropy | Design + Installation | Training
Our Africa program functions as a not-for-profit with 80 solar energy systems in Liberia. The majority of these systems are community clinics managed by the Ministry of Health, including 4 orphanages and 4 hospital installations. We support educational programs for our Liberia team and strive to be good stewards of our donated dollars.
17,400 tons of avoided CO2 release and counting
Our projects have helped avoid the amount of CO2 release equivalent to what 3,400 vehicles emit in a year! It would take 22.3 square miles of Appalachian hardwood forest land to provide the same amount of CO2 removal.
Giving Back Locally
Solar Systems
Our neighbors work hard to provide support and educational opportunities to the community, so we’re always excited to give back clean energy and relief from electric bills when we can.
These projects include: Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (12 kW); Boy Scouts (Camp Kootaga) Pool (12 kW); Habitat Restore (27 kW); Williamstown Food Bank, 6 (kW); WV Wesleyan Carport (35 kW); Latrobe Street Mission (15 kW); Williamstown Strings Program (12 kW).
Public EV Charging Stations
Pickering Energy Solutions has provided EV charging hardware to several locations around the Mid-Ohio-Valley, Greater Parkersburg area, and across the state of WV. To date, over a dozen Level 2 EV Charging stations have been deployed in the area for free public use, strategically located at community hubs such as local libraries, the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, multiple solar parking canopies, and municipal parking lots. You can use mapping services such as those listed below to find EV charging for your next trip!
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations - Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge your car!
Generating Power and Jobs
We’ve provided 39 person-years of local jobs in the design, development, installation, procurement, and maintenance of our solar systems in the US, as well as the planning, installing and servicing systems in Liberia.
Get regular updates on our projects in one place.
Latest News
Frequently Asked
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Net metering refers to a system that is connected to the electric utility grid. Any excess power that is produced by the solar system is returned to the electrical grid and the utility meter measures this. At the end of the month the utility reports the amount of energy that you used, shows the amount of power returned to the grid from the solar, and charges for the difference, or the 'net' usage.
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kW is a measure of instantaneous power.
“A kilowatt (kW) is a metric unit of power that measures the rate of energy consumption or production. It is equal to 1,000 watts, which is nearly equivalent to 1.34 horsepower.”
What is Kilowatt (kW)? - Energy Theory
kWh is a measure of power used or generated over a measured period of time.
“A kilowatt-hour is a unit of measure for energy usage. It’s [equivalent to] one kilowatt of power (1000 watts) used [consistently] for one hour. It’s abbreviated as kWh.”
What is a Kilowatt-hour (kWh) and What Can It Power? - ElectricityPlans
Solar Vocabulary
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Solar power is produced as DC power and is converted to AC (what you use in your facility) by an inverter. This power is synchronized with the utility power and is first utilized within the facility. Any excess energy is returned to the power grid for use by others.
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Solar power systems that are grid-tied are required to come offline and not produce power if the grid is down for any reason. If you choose to have batteries added to your system they will provide backup power to the facility or to selected loads. This is usually done as an additional cost or side agreement among the parties.
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For minor repairs, the solar components can be removed and replaced to allow for spot maintenance. If the entire roof needs replaced the solar system must be removed or relocated to allow for this replacement. The PPA will deal with this situation.
How Solar Works
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Your utility bill will show you how much power was used, how much was returned to the grid, and what their net cost is per month. If you have a PPA you would also receive a bill for the cost of the solar power used in the facility, which is provided at a lower cost than it would be from the utility company. The net energy from the utility bill and the energy from the PPA bill will always total the amount of power that the facility uses.
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We will monitor and maintain the production of our solar system and report the amount of generation per month with our energy bill. We will periodically compare this with the facility's energy bill to verify the cost structure and amount of energy produced and consumed.
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The tariff rate is the amount of money that you pay for the power that you use. There are various components of a commercial tariff rate: the first is the basic energy rate ($ per kWh) and then a peak demand rate ($ per kW of peak usage 'demanded' from the system on a monthly and yearly basis). Some states have time-of-use rates that vary the cost of energy depending upon the time of day. WV and OH do not currently have time-of-use rates.
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Pickering Energy will monitor the health and production of the solar system via a web-based reporting platform. At least annually we will visit the site, inspect the panels and connections, racking and other components to make sure everything is operating safely and in accordance with our plans. Routine maintenance is performed anytime a problem is detected either through the online portal or an inspection.
Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
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If you would like to have solar power on your roof and enjoy the savings, but do not have the funds to be able to purchase a system yourself, a solar developer such as Pickering Energy Solutions will provide a power system on your roof, operate and maintain it, and share the energy savings over time with you.
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In general, all costs are borne by the solar developer and the facility owner does not pay anything for the installation. This can vary with the contractual relationship between the owner and the solar developer.
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The system is maintained and operated by the solar developer such as Pickering Energy Solutions.