Utility-scale solar is a type of solar power facility that connects to the local grid and generates enough electricity to serve many customers, unlike a rooftop or private installation serving a single home or business. These projects feature ground-mounted solar infrastructure that tracks the sun throughout the day, so the best-suited sites for utility-scale solar facilities are areas of open land near an existing substation or electric transmission line. The suitability of some farmland for utility-scale solar development provides a unique income opportunity for interested landowners to sustain their family farms without opening up their land to permanent development.

Utility-scale solar projects provide landowners with an opportunity to exercise their private property rights and add value to their land while shielding it from permanent development. Solar projects generate clean, low-cost solar energy for families and businesses, contribute significant new tax revenue, and create local jobs during construction. Solar projects operate with little noise, little traffic, and little to no burden on public services. Land used for the project can be converted back for agricultural use at the end of the project’s life span.

Yes, solar energy is one of the lowest-impact forms of energy production. Solar generating facilities are low to the ground, produce no emissions during their operating life, and do not create odors or harmful byproducts. Solar panels contain no liquids and will not release any toxic or hazardous substances into the environment. Solar projects provide benefits to the environment by conserving water and providing a chance for farmland to rest so that the soil may recuperate.

DESRI is responsible for removing all equipment and restoring the land to its original or better condition at the end of the project’s 30+ year operation. Financial security is provided to Shelby County to cover decommissioning costs in the unlikely event of DESRI being unable to fulfill our obligation independently. After decommissioning, the land can be used for farming or any other purpose that the landowner deems fit.

No, Speedway Energy Center does not depend on government subsidies. The project was developed using private capital and did not rely on any taxpayer funds.

Multiple studies have shown that solar arrays have no effect on property values. Solar arrays are quiet, do not attract traffic, and do not emit odors or hazardous materials, common causes of negative impacts on property values. They have a similar visual impact as a greenhouse or other one-story buildings and can be screened with vegetation to reduce their visual impact.