Motorists driving along Interstate 65 in southern Bartholomew County will soon see the future of energy production.
Hoosier Energy, based in Bloomington, will begin installing a 4,000-panel solar farm next week at the southwest corner of Interstate 65 and County Road 625S — south of Columbus, company officials said.
Without weather delays, the project could be completed by August, project developer Chad Jenkins said.
It will be the first solar farm in Bartholomew County.
“This is going to cause a lot of attention,” Jenkins told the Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday.
Tours will likely be offered during a dedication ceremony planned for mid to late September, Jenkins said.
Each solar panel will eventually collect about 1.5 kilowatt hours of energy per day, totaling about 2 million kilowatt hours per year, Hoosier Energy announced.
In total, the one megawatt solar array that will span seven acres of a 25-acre lot should be able to power about 150 homes annually, Jenkins said.
About 10 sites throughout the southern half of Indiana were obtained by Hoosier Energy to become solar farms. Completed and operational sites can be found in Monroe, Clark, Henry, Harrison and Greene counties.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
