Ohio’s biggest solar project finally gets permit after long legal limbo

Ohio regulators have approved a permit for Oak Run Solar, the state's largest solar project, clearing a path for construction after years of legal delays. The Madison County project will pair 800 megawatts of solar panels with 300 megawatts of battery storage, and will include sheep grazing among the panel rows, a practice known as agrivoltaics. The Ohio Power Siting Board voted 7-2 to approve the permit, after the Ohio Supreme Court sent the case back last spring asking for more detail on how the project's substations would look.

The project first won approval in 2024, but Madison County and three townships appealed to the state's highest court. Judges rejected most of their objections but wanted more evidence on the visual impact of substations, which raise the voltage of electricity before it feeds onto the grid. Developer Savion submitted new renderings and testimony, and the board found that sufficient. The local governments still object and could seek reconsideration or another appeal.

For homeowners, this doesn't create a rebate or program to sign up for, but it matters for the broader picture of electricity supply and cost in Ohio. Solar and battery projects like this one are generally the cheapest and fastest way to add power to the grid, and supporters say more of them could help ease rising electricity prices as demand grows. A separate, related case before the Ohio Supreme Court, involving another solar project called Kingwood Solar, could determine how much power local governments have to block future renewable projects in the state.