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Locomotive Solar will Benefit Howard County Because:

  • The project will generate tax revenue for Howard County, which can be used to invest in new roads, bridges, schools or to offset existing tax rates.
  • Our sun’s energy is predictable, unlimited, and free.
  • Solar power is a clean energy source with no emissions.
  • The project will produce power for the grid during the day when demand is high.
  • Construction of Locomotive Solar will employ hundreds of workers.
  • State governments, businesses, and utilities can use power from the project to meet their renewable energy policy targets.
  • The levelized cost of energy from utility-scale solar has declined by 90% since 2009* and now competes head-to-head with other new sources of generation.
  • Solar development is a temporary use of land and helps to preserve ag ground for future generations.

*Additional information about the dramatic decline in the cost of solar energy is available from leading financial advisory and asset management firm Lazard at https://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-levelized-cost-of-storage-and-levelized-cost-of-hydrogen/.

COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC BENEFITS

  • Leased land payments from Locomotive Solar will provide income diversification for local farmers while protecting and preserving agricultural land for future generations.

  • The project will be a significant sources of new discretionary local tax revenue to support needed services such as schools, roads, and emergency services, as directed by Howard County leadership.

  • Jobs created during construction will bring increased economic activity to the community; once operational, the project will directly employ a small operational staff.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

  • Locomotive Solar will feature grass and native vegetation below panels and within the site that will help build soil nutrients and reduce fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide use. The facility will create pollinator habitat as well as possible opportunities for grazing.
  • Reduced stormwater runoff and soil erosion from the land hosting solar panels improves downstream water quality.
  • Compared to emissions from Indiana’s average generation mix, the project will avoid emissions similar to those produced from burning more than 300 million tons of coal annually*.
  • Locomotive Solar is designed to generate clean power for 30 to 35 years.
  • At the end of the project's life, facilities will be removed using funds set aside before construction for this purpose, and the land will be available for agricultural use.

*Avoided emissions and equivalencies information comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's “Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database” 2019 data and from the EPA’s “Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.”