Solar-energy field envisioned

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Toledo's credentials as a solar-energy hub are in for a substantial boost over the next two years.

Two international energy companies have plans to install a giant solar-energy field on top of capped landfills in North Toledo next to I-75. The project would generate enough electricity to power as many as 7,000 homes and would be the largest solar-energy installation in the city.

The two companies -- Atlanta-based OCI Solar Power and Boston-headquartered CME Energy -- are partners in the project and would invest an estimated $20 million, CME representative Jeffrey Ruggiero said. They plan to build the solar field on about 80 acres of the city-owned Dura and Tyler landfill sites, located close to Chrysler's Toledo Assembly complex.

Mr. Ruggiero said the solar field would be "huge," generating between five and seven megawatts of energy a year. Each megawatt is enough to power about 1,000 homes, he said. By contrast, another solar field at the City of Toledo's water treatment plant generates just one megawatt a year, environmental services commissioner Tim Murphy said.

Drivers along I-75 would be able to see the solar field, which is expected to be completed in 2013.

"It'll be very dramatic," Mr. Murphy said. "This is a great opportunity for the city."

CME and OCI, who as a partnership have named themselves OCI Solar Toledo City LLC, would lease the landfills from the City of Toledo for just more than $20,000 a year. Precise details of the project have yet to be worked out, but Mr. Murphy said it's possible Toledo Public Power, a municipal power utility, would buy the energy generated from the field and resell it. End users of the power could be local residents or businesses, he added.

Although they invest in other kinds of energy plants, CME and OCI are focused on solar because the price of panels has declined and capital is cheap, Mr. Ruggiero explained.

The companies also see a market for solar power in Ohio because of the state's renewable energy law. That law mandates Ohio utilities find 12.5 percent of their power from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2025.

Mr. Ruggiero said he identified Toledo for the solar-field project because he is familiar with the city. CME and OCI plan to contract with area solar firms to supply components for the project and local labor will be used for construction, he said, providing a potential boost to the local economy.

Old landfills make good sites for solar projects because the land cannot be used for much else and is therefore inexpensive, Mr. Ruggiero said. Landfills also tend to be located in urban areas close to where the power is needed, he said.

Mayor Mike Bell said Tuesday the project makes sense on several angles.

"It's a very positive use of the land and from the standpoint of renewable energy and creating great green initiatives," he said. "It's land that we couldn't do anything else with, so it's nice that we've found something positive to do on that piece of property that will help our community."

Councilman Joe McNamara, a proponent of solar power, also championed the project. He said it's another step toward reducing the use of fossil fuels, makes good use of space, and could contribute to economic development in Toledo.

"It's a very exciting project for many reasons," he said.

Contact Claudia Boyd-Barrett at: cbarrett@theblade.com or 419-724-6272.