For West Virginias biggest utility company, coal is no longer king. Rather, like many deposed regents, its now in a power-sharing coalition.

Chris Beam, 48, the newly minted chief executive of Appalachian Power, is looking to build solar and wind farms despite favorable new coal policies coming down from the governors mansion and the White House.

The current administration in Washington, D.C., is very pro-coal, which is a good thing, but they run in four-year increments, Beam told HuffPost by phone last week. The last administration was not pro-coal. So, what we try to do as a company is we try to look more long-term.

Beam, a native of Wheeling, West Virginia, who has spent 27 years at Appalachian Power, said the company plans in 20- to 40-year increments and looking out that far, the plummeting price of renewables makes solar and wind more attractive investments.

Our investments have to span what could be multiple governors in the governors mansion or multiple presidents sitting in Washington, D.C., Beam said. We dont get into the four-year swing based on who is sitting in what chair, but more around what is the best thing to do from our customers perspective.