Indiana may not currently be known as a leader in solar power, but that may soon change.
By the end of 2016, the state will benefit from the completion of 4 solar power projects that will provide a total of 15 megawatts of solar power capacity.
Indiana utility – Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) – wishes to provide its customers with an alternative energy source that will allow them to lower their carbon footprint. A small $2.21 additional monthly charge will be added to their electric bills. This will decrease the need for solar subsidies moving forward.
First Solar has been contracted to complete the solar projects in Mishawaka, New Carlisle, and Watervliet. Mike Koralewski of First Solar has said – “Solar energy is not a science fiction resource for the future. It’s a resource of the future here and now.”
Although I&M gets 50 percent of the energy it provides from coal, the company is looking to reduce that number. Paul Chodak III, President and COO of I&M, admits that “solar has a really bright future. We see it as a pretty important energy source going forward as part of our diverse portfolio of energy resources.”
As exciting as these utility scale solar projects are, we’ll need many more of them to finally make a dent in our reliance on fossil fuels. The bottom line is that this collection of 4 solar installations will only provide power to a few thousand homeowners.
We’ll get there in time.
Indiana and states across the country have what they need for a massive implementation of solar power. Cost is no longer an issue. Available space is not an issue. Quickly arriving energy storage solutions will handle the intermittent nature of solar power.
To help fill in the gaps, business and homeowners will start to do their part. Solar power is a sound investment even in Indiana, where conventional electricity prices are relatively low. Smart homeowners will realize that they can go solar and sell their solar power, instead of buying it from their utility.
No matter which angle you look at it, solar power’s future is definitely bright in Indiana and all across America.
