Cincinnati to become home of US' largest municipal solar park

The City of Cincinnati plans to build a 100-MW photovoltaic (PV) park that it says will be the largest municipal solar plant in the US.

Plans for the project were announced by Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley last week. The scheme will consist of two phases, the first one of which will involve the installation of a 35-MW array that will serve the City of Cincinnati facilities from December 2020. The 65-MW second phase plant will be commissioned in December 2021.

Once fully operational, the 100-MW solar park in Highland County will have more than 310,000 PV panels with an expected output that will supply 25,000 homes per day and help offset 158,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The generated electricity will go to power the City’s facilities and for residents subscribed to the Cincinnati Electric Aggregation Programme.

A power purchase agreement (PPA) for the project is already in place and will see the City of Cincinnati purchase electricity at a fixed rate for 20 years, with no upfront costs included. The developers are Cincinnati-based Creekwood Energy and Hecate Energy.

“Today’s announcement of a significant city-led solar energy development creates a crucial economic opportunity for Ohio and sets a new bar for cities that have committed to 100 percent renewable energy across the country,” said Daniel Sawmiller, Natural Resources Defense Council’s Ohio energy policy director.

Mayor Cranley said in a news conference that the deal will save the City USD 1.7 million (EUR 1.5m) during the whole contract term.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.908)

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