In Upper Sandusky, Ohio, about 60 miles north of capitol city, Columbus, construction of what will inevitably become the largest solar energy farm in the state is slated to begin in October.
Valued at $30 million, the farm will occupy 83 acres and – once operational – deliver enough solar-powered electricity to serve about 6,000 homes.
The solar farm will be built and operated by a subsidiary of Wörrstadt, Germany-based Juwi Solar Inc, founded in 1996. Called Wyandot Solar LLC, this American arm of Juwi will deliver the electricity produced by the solar farm to Columbus-based American Electric Power, or AEP, under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) designed to fulfill Ohio’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for utilities of 25 percent of all energy sold in the state from alternative sources by 2025.
Ohio’s RPS further stipulates that at least half the amount must come from renewable sources like solar and wind, with solar occupying at least 5 percent of the mix. Another caveat requires half the renewables being generated within the state, and the Wyandot solar farm is the first commercial-scale installation designed to meet that requirement.
According to AEP spokeswoman Melissa McHenry, the solar farm will not impact electricity rates among the utility’s 1.5 million Ohio ratepayers.
Juwi began seeking bids from contractors to build its Wyandot solar farm in August. The 10.08 megawatt project will be located in Wyandot County, near the airport off County Road 44 and Ohio 199 in Salem Township. So far, no contractor has been announced for the 160,000-panel project, but Perrysburg-based First Energy Inc. has been hired to build the panels themselves.
Juwi, which has an installed solar capacity worldwide of 300 megawatts, recently received the Clean Tech Media Award, Germany’s most innovative environmental prize, for sustainability at its Wörrstadt headquarters, known as the most energy-efficient building in the world. Juwi’s solar installations reportedly offset more than 220,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Ohio isn’t the first state one thinks of when considering solar power, but in fact First Solar founder, Harold McMaster, comes from Ohio, and held more than 100 solar patents at the time of his death in 2003.
His wife, Helen, has extended that legacy by providing $2 million to the University of Toledo (UT) for solar energy research. Ohio State, through the Ohio Research Scholars Program, is also increasing its grant to UT. The university, in conjunction with Bowling Green State University, was recommended for $8 million to support a photovoltaics R&D cluster in Ohio. The $8 million includes $2.5 million to support an additional endowed faculty position, as well as $4 million for facilities and equipment capital funding.