Indianapolis airport solar farm is largest of its kind

Ben Mutzabaugh | The Indianapolis Star

A 44,000-panel solar farm at Indianapolis International Airport has started soaking up sun rays and delivering usable electricity.

Airport and business officials Friday commissioned the $35 million to $40 million installation, which ranks as the largest airport-based solar farm in the country.

The airport expects to collect land rent of about $315,000 a year from the privately developed solar farm, which sits on 75 acres at the main airport exit off I-70. It will generate 12.5 megawatts of DCpower, enough to supply the electrical needs of about 1,800 average-sized houses.

The solar farm took more than a year to build. Developers have outlined plans to double its size.

Indianapolis Power & Light will buy the solar farm's power. The sun-generated power will cost three to four times more than IPL can sell it for, so the utility will subsidize the difference by raising rates to its customers, a utility official said. The increase in electric bills to subsidize the solar farm amounts to several cents a month on the average customer bill, the utility has said.

Solar farms also benefit from federal tax credits.

The solar farm takes 12 employees to operate and is owned and run by a Taiwanese company, General Energy Solutions, which has U.S. offices in California. Developers were Telamon Corp. and Johnson Melloh Solutions of Indianapolis.

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