Vectren has opened two solar farms in Vanderburgh County.
The first project, a 2-megawatt solar array, is located near Oak Hill Cemetery on Morgan Avenue. It was the result of a partnership with the City of Evansville, through which the energy company will lease the city’s land.
The second project, also 2-megawatts, is located on Highway 41 near North High School. That facility will also include battery storage with the ability to discharge 1 megawatt per hour over a four-hour period.
“These are the very first solar projects in our electric generation portfolio, and it’s exciting to be able to officially say that the sun is now powering a piece of southwestern Indiana through Vectren’s generation fleet,” said Carl Chapman, Vectren CEO.
Each solar farm consists of approximately 8,000 ground-mounted fixed-tilt solar panels on 15 acres. Combined, the 4-megawatts of generation will supply enough renewable energy to power more than 800 homes each year.
A third 50-megawatt solar farm should be fully operational in the fall of 2020.
Chapman said Vectren will continue to purchase power from wind farms in northern Indiana. The company also has a 3.2-megawatt landfill gas facility in Pike County.
When considering all of these projects, Vectren will have enough renewable energy to power more than 35,000 homes, or nearly 25 percent of all residential customers.
