GROTON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — For the past two days, interested parties gathered in Columbus to debate plans for an 860-acre solar farm in Stark County in front of the Ohio Power Siting Board.
While a final decision is not expected for months, it marks the latest power struggle over solar energy in the state, as more and more communities are looking at ways to stop solar farms.
In just Portage County over the last year, Shalersville, Hiram, Streetsboro, Nelson Township, and Rootstown have looked at revising regulations or implementing a ban on solar farms.
Statehouse stalls solar expansion
In 2021, Senate Bill 52 allowed county commissioners to restrict new solar farms from coming in across their entire county. As Medina County Commissioner Steve Hambley reflected, they were among the first counties to take advantage of the new law.
"1,000 acres of solar panels really does change the look of a community," he reflected. "What home builder do you know that would want to do a multi-million dollar investment and they say, 'Beautiful farm field you got next door.' [And then you respond,] 'Well, it's going to be a 1,000 acre solar farm.' Not as pretty."
In Medina County, Hambley said they do not want to ban all solar projects entirely but want to be able to say no first and then allow exceptions.
"It’s good to have that conversation early rather than wait until they’re at your door and they’ve spent a lot of money getting to your door," Hambley said.
Construction continues on Erie County solar farm
News 5 traveled to Erie County, where roughly 700 acres are being developed as part of the Wheatsborough Solar project just off the Ohio Turnpike.
When completed and up and running in the spring of 2025, the project is slated to generate enough power for 21,000 homes; that’s about the population of Rocky River.
Gena Shelton showed us how Apex Clean Energy leased the farmland for the next 30 years, one of several projects they have in the state to help add energy for Ohioans.
"We’re plugging straight into the power lines," Shelton, the public engagement manager for Apex Clean Energy, said. "So when people locally turn on their electricity, power from these solar panels can come down and run your TV, charge your iPad just like any other nature gas or coal firing plant that's in the state of Ohio."
Shelton explained how the panels are not installed on concrete pads but pile-driven into the ground to be more easily removed when the solar project wraps up.
"They pop out," she explained. "We really try very hard to partner with our family farmers to follow the best possible research of what can we do to the land so that when our lease is up, we can return it to them so they can use it for future generations."
Shelton told News 5 that as part of the project, Apex Clean Energy signed an agreement with Erie County to provide $ 640,000 a year for the next 30 years to the Margaretta School District, which amounts to $19.2 million.
"We are paying money per megawatt generated to be distributed as millage but it's outside the tax piece," she said. "Margaretta School District is going to be the biggest beneficiary of this because of the way the state formula works. They're going to get the same amount of money if this was taxed as property taxed."
But while solar owners and those leasing out land see savings and profits, that doesn’t mean everyone is on board.
News 5 spoke with several neighbors of the Wheatsborough Solar project who expressed their frustration, arguing they won't see any discounts or benefits from what they call an eyesore.
"We wish corn was going to be there all year round so it would block the view looking at that," neighbor Mindy Fazio explained. "We moved out of town into this very small community to have privacy and not look at this."
Last year, Erie County voted to institute a ban on solar farms. Wheatsborough Solar, which already had a green light, was grandfathered in and not subject to the future ban.
Demand growing for power
Whether it's new manufacturing, data centers or electric vehicles, solar lobbyist Will Hinman points out the future demand is there.
"We need more energy on the grid to meet the demand that we’re facing," Hinman, who heads the Utility Scale Energy Coalition of Ohio, explained.
According to the Ohio Power Siting Board, the state only produces about 1,000 megawatts of solar energy. But add Wheatsborough Solar with other greenlit projects, and that number is slated to grow to more than 8,000 megawatts.
"We’re not the sunniest state in the union, but technology has advanced to the point where even on cloudy days, there’s a lot of output on these solar arrays," Hinman explained.
Earlier this year, a solar farm spanning over 6,000 acres just west of Columbus received state approval. Oak Run Solar Project is slated to produce 800 megawatts and include a 300-megawatt energy storage system, making it the largest in the state.
Kent State leans into solar savings
At Kent State University, solar has been embraced as a way to cut down on expenses for years. Since 2012, solar panels have been used atop its main campus fieldhouse. The success of that project led to the expansion of solar use across six of their regional campuses, partnering with a solar company that owns the panels.
Doug Pearson, associate VP of facilities, planning and operations, told News 5 that the savings vary widely by weather, sunlight and how much energy they use. Nonetheless, they are more than doubling down on solar by adding more panels to nearby property they own.
"It certainly paid for itself," he explained. “We buy the power from the companies that own the solar panels at a guaranteed 2 cents less than if we bought the energy from the grid."
Pearson said he hopes to see these panels operational by December.
Clay LePard is a special projects reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard or on Facebook Clay LePard News 5.
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