Caldwell County officials say a $200 million solar farm could be coming into the county by 2023, potentially generating more than 200 megawatts of electricity.
County Magistrate Jeff Boone announced at a fiscal court meeting Tuesday that Minnesota-based Geronimo Energy would be leasing about 1,000 acres from several property owners to install solar panels. Boone said he hopes the project brings more tax revenue to the county and state, though the amount of revenue isn’t yet known.
He also said he believes with this investment along with past solar farms in west Kentucky, solar energy could provide future opportunities for Kentucky with coal industry employment declining.
“The sun’s going to come out every morning, and the good lord’s going to bless us with sunshine, according to how we choose to harness that energy to take care of ourself. I think the economic impacts are great,” Boone said.
Boone said other solar companies are also leasing land for pilot tests to decide whether to invest in the county. County Property Valuation Administrator Ronald Wood met with Boone and company officials on Monday to discuss the move.
Wood said the company at the meeting also proposed donating a percentage of future revenue to local school districts.
“I thought that was a positive, that they have some charitable side to that as well,” Wood said.
Wood also said there could be a temporary boost in jobs created during construction, with a few permanent jobs created to maintain the solar panels. The Paducah Sun reports Geronimo Energy chose Caldwell County for the project because of its flat land, access to electrical infrastructure, and receptive community.
Liam Niemeyer is a reporter for the Ohio Valley Resource covering agriculture and infrastructure in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia and also serves Assistant News Director at WKMS. He has reported for public radio stations across the country from Appalachia to Alaska, most recently as a reporter for WOUB Public Media in Athens, Ohio. He is a recent alumnus of Ohio University and enjoys playing tenor saxophone in various jazz groups.
