6MW floating solar array turns Ohio reservoir into power site, saves 30 acres of land

A 6-megawatt floating solar array is now generating electricity from an Ohio reservoir, using water instead of farmland for its footprint. The system, installed on the Village of Monroeville’s reservoir, contains 9,222 solar modules spread across three floating islands. It feeds electricity directly into the village’s distribution grid. The project is the largest floating solar installation in Ohio and ranks among the five largest such systems in the US, according to D3Energy, which developed the array. Its biggest advantage is not just the amount of electricity it generates. The floating system occupies about 12 acres of water, avoiding the need for roughly 30 acres of farmland that a similarly sized ground-mounted solar project would have required. Solar moves onto water That land-saving approach is particularly relevant in parts of Ohio where utility-scale solar projects face restrictions. About one-third of the state’s 88 counties have restricted large solar installations since a 2021 law gave counties greater authority over such projects. Monroeville instead used land it already owned for another purpose. “Solar needs space, and in farm country there’s no such thing as spare ground,” said Stetson Tchividjian, Managing Director of D3Energy. “Monroeville had water sitting right there doing one job. Now it does two.” The floating array is the village’s second solar project. Its existing 4MW ground-mounted solar facility has been operating since 2017. Monroeville has a population of about 1,300. With both projects operating, the village has roughly 13 times as much solar capacity per resident as Ohio overall, according to D3Energy. The new installation also adds to a growing number of floating solar projects in the state. D3Energy has already completed floating arrays for Del-Co Water in Delaware and the City of Lima at Twin Lakes Reservoir. Together, the three projects bring Ohio’s operating floating solar capacity to nearly 10MW. All three are located on water bodies already owned by the utilities or public entities hosting them. Floating panels expand solar Floating solar can provide developers with another option when suitable land is limited or competing land uses make conventional solar projects difficult to build. The Monroeville project was developed by D3Energy with Gardner Capital, which owns the system and sells its electricity to the village. Ohio-based Appalachian Renewable Power served as the contractor. D3Energy said the project is its third floating solar installation in Ohio. The company says it has built more than half of the floating photovoltaic systems currently operating in the US. For Monroeville, the reservoir now serves two functions. It remains a water resource while also providing space for thousands of solar panels without taking agricultural land out of use. “None of this happens without Monroeville’s forward-thinking leadership,” Tchividjian said. “Tom Gray, the recently retired village administrator, drove this project from the first conversation to the day it energized. This one is his.” The 6MW array shows how floating solar can turn existing water infrastructure into an additional site for renewable power generation. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.With over a decade-long career in journalism, Neetika Walter has worked with The Economic Times, ANI, and Hindustan Times, covering politics, business, technology, and the clean energy sector. Passionate about contemporary culture, books, poetry, and storytelling, she brings depth and insight to her writing. When she isn’t chasing stories, she’s likely lost in a book or enjoying the company of her dogs.