While solar energy production has a brief history in Ohio, “utility-scale” production is on the rise. A landowner can benefit from learning about the history and the current state of solar energy in Ohio, as well as how a project develops—from site selection to construction and finally, production.
Over the past decade, Ohio has experienced considerable growth in photovoltaic (PV) solar development. In 2009, Ohio had 14 solar projects certified with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, growing to more than 2,697 projects representing 210 megawatts (MW) of capacity in June 2019. Prior to 2018, most solar projects in Ohio were small projects located on homes, farms, and businesses. In fact, of the 2,697 Ohio solar projects, the average system size was 78 kilowatts. Prior to 2019 there were only two 1 Chapter 1 Solar Energy Development in Ohio 2 projects larger than 10 MWs, including the 28.7 MW DG AMP Solar Bowling Green project and the 12 MW Wyandot Solar Energy Generation Facility.
