Ohio Solar United is an effort by EDF Renewables to mobilize supporters of solar in Ohio. Our aim is to empower Ohioans to engage with public officials and their neighbors about the benefits of solar development, and to combat the increasing misinformation being spread about solar. 

Utility-scale solar development brings a wide array of benefits to the Buckeye State: 

Community Economic Benefits  

Solar facilities provide long-term, guaranteed tax revenue to the local community, create hundreds of local, good-paying jobs, and produce low-cost, clean power that helps attract broader economic development in Ohio, from industries such as supply chain, technology, and manufacturing. The tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue significantly supports local school systems, police and fire departments, and other critical community services. Additionally, annual lease payments provide a stable, guaranteed revenue stream to support local landowners, allowing for generational farmland preservation, and indirect, local economic stimulus. 

Specifically, Eastern Cottontail Solar—a $400 million dollar capital investment in the Fairfield County community—is expected to generate: 

• $79.2 million in stable, long-term revenue for schools, police and fire departments, and local services in Fairfield County. 
• $219.7 million in indirect economic benefits, such as the local purchase of materials and supplies by construction and site teams. 
• More than 500 local construction and long-term maintenance and operations jobs, with an additional 270 local indirect jobs across local industries such as supply chain and raw materials. 
• $80 million in total lease payments to project participating landowners. 

Agricultural and Land Use Benefits  

Utility-scale solar projects, like Eastern Cottontail Solar, promote a host of agricultural and land use benefits, with a few examples listed below: 

• Solar projects promote low-impact land use and can safely operate next to neighboring agricultural operations, all while not impeding public interest in any capacity. 
• Projects provide natural ground cover under and between the rows of panels, which allows the soil to rest and rebuild nutrients. This will leave the land in an expected better state upon project decommissioning, allowing the respective landowner the option to return to agriculture, if desired. 
• Solar sites can accommodate sheep and other grazing animals to be utilized for ground maintenance on the site, allowing for dual land usage. 
• At the end of a project’s useful life, the pilings and equipment can be easily removed, solar panels and accompanying equipment recycled, and the land returned to its original state. 
• Solar projects provide landowners with stable revenue, which allows them to diversify their income, support continued agricultural operations, prevent other permanent uses of the land such as residential and clustered development, and allows them to keep their land in their family for generations to come. 

Environmental Benefits 

Solar energy facilities provide an immense environmental benefit, by greatly reducing pollutants and harmful emissions into the local atmosphere. Eastern Cottontail Solar is expected to generate at least 454,000,000 kilowatt-hours (KWh) of clean electricity each year—roughly enough energy to power 42,000 average American homes! This amount of generation is also equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from: 

• ~75,000 passenger cars driven over one year 
• ~350 million pounds of coal burned 
• ~20.9 billion smartphone charges

Additionally, planting of pollinator friendly ground cover creates new habitats for wildlife, which assists with agricultural practices, reduces erosion, and mitigates flooding risk. Other agrivoltaics solutions, such as animal grazing and crop planting, provide additional opportunities for dual land use. 

Guaranteeing American Rights 

Development of utility-scale solar projects underscores the inherent right Americans possess to exercise private property rights, by allowing citizens the opportunity to make decisions on how to best use their personal, private land. 

National Security Benefits  

The clean electricity generated by American utility-scale solar projects that utilize American-made panels and materials—like Eastern Cottontail Solar—allows for reduced reliance and importation of foreign materials and energy sources. In turn, these local solutions strengthen our national security and energy security, all while reducing energy costs for Americans. 

Energy Generation Benefits 

Energy generated from Eastern Cottontail Solar will directly offset the 20-25% of power already being imported into Ohio, while helping to meet increasing energy demand in central Ohio from the tens of thousands of individuals projected to populate the area by 2050. Collectively, increasing energy generation efficiencies with solar power will help reduce energy costs for all Ohioans. 

Additionally, as renewable energy commitments are increasingly embraced by American corporations, solar projects like Eastern Cottontail Solar will help Ohio realize its goal of continuing to attract business and drive economic growth in the state. AEP Ohio has recently forecasted a doubling of energy requirements by 2028—heavily driven by business needs—underscoring the importance of building solar projects.