Ohio regulators approve another 600 MW of solar

The projects include the 275 MW Cadence Solar Energy project, one of the largest projects to be approved for construction in the Buckeye State.

November 22, 2021 Tim Sylvia

Image: Ohio Power Siting Board

The Ohio Power Siting Board approved four solar energy projects with a combined capacity of nearly 600 MW.

The projects are the 275 MW Cadence Solar Energy project, the 101 MW Juliet Energy Project, the 100 MW Marion County Solar Project, and the 117 MW Sycamore Creek Solar project.

While not the largest solar project ever proposed in Ohio (the 300 MW Birch Solar project proposed by Lightsource bp and the 300 MW Yellow Wood Solar project proposed by Invenergy both went before the board in August) the Cadence project is the largest in the state known to pv magazine to be approved for construction.

Cadence will occupy around 1,925 acres within an approximately 4,900-acre project area in York, Liberty, and Taylor townships in Union County, northwest of Columbus. The facility will be composed of LONGi solar modules or comparable Tier-1 solar panels, of which the project application also lists Jinko Solar, JA Solar, Trina Solar and First Solar modules. These modules will be mounted on single-axis trackers, and inverters will be supplied by one of TMEIC, SMA, Power Electronics, or GE.

The 101 MW Juliet Energy Project, being developed by 7X Energy, will be located on around 585 acres of a roughly 670-acre project area in Weston and Milton townships in Wood County, south of Toledo. the project will utilize tier-1 solar modules and tier-1 inverters, with the modules being mounted on single-axis tracking systems.

The 100 MW Marion County Solar Project, being developed by Savion Energy, would include a 20 MW energy storage system. The project, planned a site north of Columbus, would use tier-1 solar modules, with applicants identifying Risen, Jinko, Trina, Longi as possible providers. Inverter mounting system specifics were not disclosed.

*Image: Wood Mackenzie/Solar Energy Industries Association*

Sycamore Creek would be a 117 MW standalone project in Crawford County, between Cleveland and Toledo. It is being developed by National Grid Renewables. Like the other projects, Sycamore Creek would use tier-1 solar modules and tier-1 inverters, with the modules mounted on single-axis tracking systems.

The previously-largest project to reach the construction phase in Ohio was the 200 MW Hillcrest Solar facility, developed by Innergex Renewable Energy. The project is on 1,350 acres in Brown County, about 45 miles east of Cincinnati.

Ohio has witnessed a solar boom, with the majority of the state’s nearly 800 MW of installed capacity coming since the start of 2020. This year has included multiple approvals for utility-scale solar projects in the state, especially for projects with a capacity of 100 MW or greater. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Ohio is projected to add 5,596 MW of solar over the next five years, 6th in the nation.

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