Floating solar developer D3Energy has energized a 6 MW floating photovoltaic (FPV) array in the Village of Monroeville, Ohio. The system stands as the largest floating solar installation in the state and one of the largest operating FPV projects in the Midwest.
Sited directly on the Huron County village’s drinking water reservoir, the project utilizes Ciel & Terre Hydrelio floating structures to mount the PV modules over water. By floating the array, the municipal system preserves more than 30 acres of surrounding land that traditional ground-mounted solar would have required, while helping reduce reservoir evaporation and control seasonal algae growth.
Under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), the Village of Monroeville will buy electricity from project owner Gardner Capital to feed directly into the village’s local distribution grid. Generating over 7,500 MWh annually, enough to power roughly 700 homes, the project more than doubles Monroeville’s clean power capacity. Ohio-based contractor Appalachian Renewable Power (ARP Solar) handled on-the-ground engineering and construction.
The Monroeville installation marks D3Energy’s third completed FPV project in Ohio, joining the 1.5 MW Del-Co Water array in Delaware and a 2 MW system deployed on the City of Lima’s Twin Lakes Reservoir. Combined, the three installations bring Ohio’s total operational floating solar capacity to nearly 10 MW, making it a regional leader in utilizing municipal water infrastructure for dual-use clean energy generation.
“None of this happens without Monroeville’s forward-thinking leadership,” said Stetson Tchividjian, Managing Director of D3Energy. “Monroeville has long been a leader in the energy space, and with this project, they’ll be utilizing more green energy than many larger counties and cities across the country. They’re setting a bold example of how a rural community can make a meaningful impact in advancing clean energy.”
The deployment fits into a broader national surge in floating photovoltaics as developers seek creative siting options to overcome land acquisition challenges. Research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows that U.S. reservoirs have ample capacity for FPV generation, with federally controlled bodies of water alone capable of hosting between 861 GW and 1,042 GW of potential floating solar capacity. According to NREL, tapping this technical potential could deliver roughly half the solar generation required to fully decarbonize the U.S. power grid by 2050.
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