D3Energy powers a 6-megawatt floating solar array at a village reservoir in Monroeville, Ohio. This is the state's largest floating solar system and one of the top five in the nation.

Since the state law granted it relevant authority in 2021, about one-third of Ohio's 88 counties have imposed restrictions on large-scale solar facilities, while townships are still voting on the matter. Monroe Village has taken a different approach by floating its solar arrays on the 12-acre water surface already owned by the village.

"Solar energy requires space, but there is no extra land available in the farm area," said State Sen Civiagan, Managing Director of D3Energy. "Monroville was originally just a place for water supply. Now it serves two purposes."

The floating photovoltaic array is Monroeville's second solar project. The village's 4-megawatt ground-mounted solar array has been in operation since 2017. Among these two projects, this village of 1,300 residents generates approximately 13 times the solar power per capita compared to other areas in Ohio, making it one of the highest per capita solar power producers in the state.

Monroville is D3Energy's third project in Ohio, following the Del-Co hydroelectric array in Delaware and Ohio, as well as the array at Twin Lakes Reservoir in Lima, which was completed earlier this year and visited by Solar Power World. Together, these projects provide nearly 10 megawatts of operational floating solar power in Ohio, all located on waters already owned by the host utility companies. This exceeds the capacity of any other state in the Midwest. The array was built in collaboration with Gardner Capital, which owns the system and sells its electricity to the village, and Appalachian Renewable Power, an Ohio-based contractor.

"All of this would not have been possible without the visionary leadership of Monroeville," said Chivijian. "The recently retired village administrator, Tom Gray, spearheaded this initiative from the initial discussions to the final launch of the project. This is his achievement."