100 MW Municipal Solar Project In Cincinnati, US

• Selected under Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, the city of Cincinnati is supporting the development of a 100 MW PV project, which it calls the 'largest municipal solar array' in the country
• It will be developed in Highland County, Ohio in two phases of 35 MW and 65 MW
• More than 310,000 solar panels will be deployed to generate clean power to be supplied to the city's facilities and residents

The City of Cincinnati in the US will develop what it terms 'largest municipal solar array' in the country with 100 MW installed capacity after it was selected as a winner in the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge (see Helping US Cities Procure 2.8 GW RE).

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley announced that the 100 MW city-led solar project will be tied to a power purchase agreement (PPA) that takes care of the upfront cost of constructing the project and will supply the city with clean power for a fixed tariff over a period of 20 years.

The agreement was facilitated by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Rocky Mountain Institute's Renewables Accelerator.

Power generated will be supplied to all city facilities and residents under the Cincinnati Electric Aggregation Program.

The Highland County, Ohio located project will be developed in two phases, 35 MW will come online first in December 2020, and a year later, in December 2021, the remaining 65 MW is expected to be grid connected. Electricity generated will come from over 310,000 solar panels deployed on some 1,000 acres of land covering an area as big as covering 750 football fields.

It is equivalent to keeping 157 million pounds of coal in the ground every year, stated the Mayor's office.

To construct the project, the Cincinnati state will collaborate with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local.

"Cincinnati was selected as a winner in the American Cities Climate Challenge because of Mayor Cranley's commitment to ambitious and impactful climate solutions – solutions which not only reduce carbon emissions, but also protect public health and create jobs," said Antha Williams, head of environmental programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies. "This offsite renewable deal is the latest example of Cincinnati's ambition turned into achievement."

In November 2019, a 223.5 MW solar plant in Florida was backed by 12 municipal utilities that called it the 'largest municipal-backed solar project in the US' with plans to expand it to 375 MW by 2023 (see 12 Florida Municipal Utilities For 223.5 MW PV Project).