Cincinnati to construct US’ largest municipal PV project

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The installation will be developed over 404 hectares of land, which is the equivalent of 750 american football fields, and will be comprised of more than 310,000 solar panels. Image: Flickr: Jeff Kubina

The City of Cincinnati plans to construct the largest municipal PV project in the US in order to provide clean energy to all city facilities and serve residents through the Cincinnati Electric Aggregation Program. Once completed, the 100MW PV installation will reduce the region’s yearly carbon emissions rate by 158,000 tons.

A PPA has already been signed, which will see the City of Cincinnati purchase electricity at a fixed rate for the full 20 years of the contract.The agreement was facilitated by the World Resources Institute and Rocky Mountain Institute’s Renewables Accelerator, through support from the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said: “Cities need to take action – and that’s exactly what Cincinnati is doing. We are spending money we would already spend on power to buy lower-cost renewable energy that also benefits the community.”

The 100MW PV project will be installed roughly 62km east downtown Cincinnati in Highland County, Ohio. The installation will be developed over 404 hectares of land, which is the equivalent of 750 american football fields, and will be comprised of more than 310,000 solar panels. 

Once operational, the installation will generate enough electricity to power 25,000 homes each day. The first phase of the installation, a 35MW array that will serve the City of Cincinnati facilities, will go into service in December 2020. The 65MW second phase plans to be completed in December 2021. 

Antha Williams, head of environmental programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, added: “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. This offsite renewable deal is the latest example of Cincinnati's ambition turned into achievement. Cincinnati is showing how cities are leading the way to our clean energy future and paving the way for others in the region to follow suit.”

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

July 4, 2025
The US House of Representatives has passed the final version of the reconciliation bill that is now going to US President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature before its passing.
July 3, 2025
US tracker manufacturer GameChange Solar has introduced the Genius Tracker TF, a new terrain-following solar tracker system designed to deliver “the industry’s lowest grading requirement on challenging terrain.” 
July 1, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Arevon Energy has closed a US$600 million credit facility to support its solar PV and energy storage portfolio in the US.
June 30, 2025
Heliene has completed the sale of Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credits in association with Minnesota-based U.S. Bank.
June 30, 2025
Voting on the US tax reconciliation bill is expected to begin in the Senate today, following a draft published on Friday that hit clean energy tax credits hard.
June 30, 2025
US clean energy developer Clearway Energy Group has received corporate credit facilities over US$1 billion.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK