Ohio benefits from clean energy by providing wind, solar and energy efficiency to the Buckeye State. A growing number of Ohioans are turning to renewable energy sources to meet their energy needs.
The Ohio Power Siting Board has approved seven solar projects in Ohio, three of which are currently under construction. In Vinton County, the Ohio power company's first solar power project in the state was recently approved by the Ohio Power and Sitting Board (OPSB).
AEP currently receives a significant number of required SRECs from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). AEP Ohio is targeting a total of 2,500 megawatts of solar power capacity for its solar projects in Ohio.
Fowler Ridge II Wind Farm in Indiana has an agreement to purchase the electricity generated by the farm. AEP Ohio currently has a total of 2,500 megawatts of solar power capacity under construction or development in Ohio, and the potential for further solar projects in the future. In addition to its solar and wind projects, Aep Ohio also has approximately 1,000 megawatts of wind capacity in operation or under construction in its portfolio.
Most homeowners pay between $3 and $4 per watt to have solar panels installed at Sandusky, with the average cost being $3.57 per watt. Some manufacturers, like LG, offer their own solar discounts, though Ohio has none.
Ohio's solar farm should also demonstrate the feasibility of solar generation to other Midwestern states, said Romich of Marion. Abe has pledged to use advanced energy through Senate Bill 221, and Ohio will provide solar energy jobs.
The Ohio Clean Energy Act provides a guaranteed solar market that provides companies with critical growth security, "he said. The solar system we installed in Sandusky has shown that solar technology is never counted against electrical energy as fuel.
Just remember to keep an eye on renewables when looking for a new power supplier with Ohio Energy Ratings. Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer spoke to get a more detailed look at the utilities - wind and solar projects in Ohio that produce 50 megawatts or more of electricity.
The report highlights Ohio's largest solar energy project, the 1,000-megawatt Sandusky Solar Power Plant, which generates more than 2.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year. The 12-megawatt plant, which covers 80 hectares, has become one of the larger solar plants in Ohio.
The 1,000-megawatt Sandusky solar power plant on the county's land is by far the largest solar power plant in Ohio. It was built on arable land that was previously mined for coal, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
In 2010, the state's largest utility, a 12-MW grid called the Wyandot Solar Project, was built in Upper Sandusky, ushering in Ohio's solar birth. DP & L was able to obtain solar energy in 2009 and build its own solar power plant in 2010. AEP has taken significant steps to address its solar shortage for 2010 by purchasing solar energy from a variety of sources, including solar panels, wind turbines and solar photovoltaics.
Duke is the leader among Ohio utilities in solar energy commitment, and has saved large amounts of electricity by helping customers buy efficient products. Duke has led all Ohio utilities in their solar energy commitments. It has also saved a large amount of energy in the form of solar panels and solar photovoltaics, and helped its customers buy the efficient product.
Ohio's renewable-energy political climate is not exactly friendly, and most of the development of wind and solar farms is driven by state developments. But there is also a growing demand from businesses for green energy, as evidenced in Ohio by the large number of companies willing to buy electricity from wind or solar projects. Solar projects have also created thousands of jobs, added millions of dollars to the state's GDP, made Ohio a leader in paying for "green energy," and made our state more competitive in energy efficiency than other states.
In October 2010, Ohio-based American Electric Power (AEP) announced that it was working with Virginia-based Turning Point Energy to build a 50 MW solar project in Southeast Ohio. The site, which must meet current wind-down requirements, is part of a partnership between Turning Point Energy and the Ohio Wind Energy Association, a Virginia-based company that has been trying to produce wind energy in Ohio for a decade. An Ohio EP also announced that it would purchase the capacity of a planned 1,000 MW wind farm in Southeast Ohio owned by Aep and a 2,500 MW renewable energy project at the site.
Columbus-based AEP will invest $20 million in the project, which will be the largest solar development in Ohio and far exceed the total solar capacity of the state's other major solar projects. NREL Solar Irradiance data shows that Ohio receives more solar energy than any other state except the Southwest, where we have 1,000 MW of solar capacity. The largest solar power project in the Midwest will build a 50 MW solar project at a location in a rural area of eastern Ohio. Columbus-based Aep will invest $20 million in projects that will surpass Ohio's larger solar power plants, which exceed Ohio State's total solar power capacity, or 1.5 MW.