Strickland, DP&L Open Solar Power Facility

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland joined officials with Dayton Power and Light on Tuesday morning to open a 1.1 megawatt solar array near its Yankee substation in Washington Township.

Construction of the array began in December 2009.

“Two years ago, we fought to establish one of the nation’s most aggressive renewable energy standards to drive innovation and grow Ohio’s advanced energy economy,” Governor Strickland said. “We are making real progress toward our goal of making Ohio a leader in the invention, production and deployment of green energy technologies.”

The state’s energy legislation calls for 25 percent of all energy consumed by Ohioans to be from alternative energy by 2025. Of that, .5 percent must be solar energy.

“Exploring solar technology is just one way DP&L is diversifying our sources for electricity generation to support our compliance with Ohio’s renewable energy requirements,” said Paul Barbas, president and CEO, DP&L.

DP&L’s Yankee solar array consists of 9,120 solar panels constructed over seven acres, and generates enough electricity to power the equivalent of 150 homes a year. The array cost approximately $5 million to build.

DP&L’s Yankee solar facility was constructed in partnership with a number of regional companies led by Ameridian Specialty Services, Inc. of Cincinnati.

“Many of these companies worked in the snow, rain, cold and wind to keep our project on schedule and on budget,” said Joe Jancauskas, DP&L manager of the solar construction project. “We appreciated their efforts to provide quality workmanship in less than ideal conditions.”

“In spite of all obstacles the project was completed successfully, on time and we are exceptionally proud of the end result,” said Betty Owens, president and CEO of Ameridian. “Construction took over 13,000 man hours to complete, with more than 80% of this labor provided by local Ohio contractors. Those workers installed equipment containing 73 tons of aluminum, 67 tons of steel and 164,000 feet of wire.”

Starting in July, a visitor center will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to provide information about solar power and up-to-the-minute performance of the array. It is located at 9975 Yankee St., Dayton, OH 45458.