CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (WSIL) -- Southeast Missouri is in the last stages of a big transition to clean energy.

Several solar canopies are almost finished at the Show Me Center.

Think of it as roofs in the parking lot where you can park your car underneath.

It's a partnership between Cape Girardeau and Ameren, Missouri.

Ameren says it'll provide a lot of energy to the city's power grid.

Ameren says it'll help modernize things and provide future jobs for students in the field.

"We're not training students for the jobs that are out there right now," said SEMO Technology and Engineering Chair Brad Deken. "We're training them for jobs they'll have whenever they're graduating and five years after they're graduating."

The project also allows students at SEMO to gain needed experience in the field.

"This is really exciting," said SEMO sophomore Rachel Phile. "Honestly, when I picked up this major, I was not expecting to be able to see something like this. I never thought I would see myself in construction. Construction is way cooler than I thought it ever was."

The panels are good for 25 years and can sometimes last another 10 after that.

Ameren says it will help provide a large amount of clean energy to the city's power grid.

"Generally speaking, clean energy green energy there's less maintenance cost," said Russell Burger, Ameren SE Division Director. "It's a capital project.

"This will benefit Ameren Missouri customers well into the future. This is a renewable. The sun it's a renewable program, and from there, that's a great benefit."

Paul Wilcoxen is a Multimedia Journalist at News 3 WSIL. Paul joined the team in 2021. If you have a news tip or story idea, email him at pwilcoxen@wsiltv.com

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