South Bend company breaks ground on I&M's first solar facility
A South Bend solar products company broke ground Friday on Indiana Michigan Power's first solar generation facility.
Inovateus Solar was contracted to design and build the facility, which will be located just south of Marion, Indiana.
The facility will consist of about 10,000 solar panels on nearly 17 acres of ground. It will have a capacity of 2.5 megawatts and is expected to begin generating energy by the end of this year.
I&M also expects to begin construction on a facility in Mishawaka by the end of the year. Facilities are also planned west of South Bend and near Watervliet, Michigan.
Learn more about Inovateus Solar at www.inovateussolar.com
From Indiana Michigan Power:
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), an operating unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), broke ground today on its first solar generation facility.
The facility will consist of about 10,000 solar panels on about 17 acres of ground just south of Marion, Indiana, adjacent to an I&M service center. The facility will have a capacity of 2.5 megawatts and is expected to begin generating energy by the end of this year.
The Deer Creek solar facility is the first to be owned and operated by I&M and its parent company, AEP.
“This is truly an historic day for I&M and for Marion,” said Paul Chodak III, President and Chief Operating Officer of Indiana Michigan Power. “Adding this clean, renewable energy further diversifies I&M’s generation portfolio, and it is an important step toward recognizing the increasing preferences of our customers, our company and our government for green energy.”
The Marion facility is one of four solar facilities that will generate up to about 15 megawatts of energy for I&M by the end of 2016.
“Together, these facilities will provide I&M an opportunity to gain valuable experience in the design and construction of utility-scale solar projects,” Chodak said. “They will enable I&M to become proficient in operating solar generation and integrating it reliably into the energy delivery grid. This knowledge will be of use to I&M and its customers as we move toward adding utility-scale solar in the coming years.”
Marion is an appropriate location for I&M to deploy cutting edge technology. More than a century ago, a transmission line was built to connect Marion’s local utility with Muncie’s – the first interconnection between electric utilities in the nation. Those two utilities were among the first the newly formed American Gas and Electric, AEP’s forerunner, purchased in 1907.
I&M contracted with an Indiana company, Inovateus Solar of South Bend, to design and build the facility.
Construction is expected to begin within a few weeks.
The panels are expected to generate the most energy when it is needed most – during hot, sunny summer days.
Later this year, I&M expects to begin construction on a second facility in Mishawaka. Facilities are also planned west of South Bend and near Watervliet, Mich.