DAYTON — The city of Dayton claims that home energy bills will be lowered due to a huge solar farm moving forward.
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The solar farm is planned for 600 acres near Little Richmond Road and State Route 49.
The power from the solar farm will be purchased by the city’s electric aggregate provider, AEP, and could power more than 14,000 homes.
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“Essentially this agreement allows us to make energy off the site and give it to our residents, which is really great.” Meg Maloney with the city’s sustainability office said.
Locking in a buyer, AEP, is one of the last steps in three years of work.
It makes the project viable for a developer but benefits city customers.
“Corporations can buy it, manufacturers can buy it, data centers can buy it,” Maloney said.
The project was first announced in July 2023.
A lot of objections since then have centered around replacing farm fields with a solar farm.
City leaders said the land had been zoned for manufacturing, but they believe this project is better.
“Once that solar is constructed, it’s a pretty quiet neighbor,” Maloney.
The solar farm will not provide power for 30% of Dayton homes, but for 30% of customers who opt in to the city’s electric aggregation program.
For them, this project will help lock out large increases in bills.
“If they continue to rise at the same price they have over the last 20 years, this project will save residents $42 million,” Maloney said.
The city believes there will be site work done by the developer this year, but the 12-15 month construction process will start in early 2027.
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