New facility will bring low-cost energy to thousands of homes: 'A lot of great work happening'

As of December 2024, Ohio ranked 13th nationally in solar capacity, with a goal of continued expansion, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Overall, 2.79% of the Buckeye State's electricity is generated through solar.

"It's become ever more important for all of those cities throughout Ohio ... to be working together to figure out how we all can advance the projects that we're working on that can benefit residents and businesses in each of our local communities," said Robert McCracken, the energy manager for Cincinnati, according to Public News Service.

Planned solar projects are targeting lands that are either contaminated or already cleared, something solar farm project planning often fails to consider. The solar array planned for Dayton will be situated on the site of the 1987 Sherwin-Williams warehouse fire.

The 5-kilowatt installation will be completed by the end of 2026 and will supply one-third of the power needed to sustain the City of Dayton Miami Water Treatment Plant, which will keep water rates low and lead to savings for residents.

Much depends on grid location and dynamics as well as upfront costs. However, it's a matter of short term versus long term, with solar energy's levelized costs growing increasingly competitive with natural gas each year.

Overall, there is an expectation that solar energy will provide 10% of Ohio's energy needs by 2030, as noted by Environment Ohio.

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Currently, solar in Ohio generates almost 3,700 megawatts of electricity, and SEIA projects that will increase to over 9,500 MW over the next five years — which would bump the state from 13th to eighth in the country for installed solar capacity.

"There is a lot of great work happening in the sustainable energy field throughout the state of Ohio," McCracken added, according to Public News Service. At this rate, Ohio's future is looking brighter.

Should the government be paying us to upgrade our homes?

Definitely 💰