Indiana's New 150 MW Solar Farm Powers 28,800 Homes

A new solar farm the size of about 350 football fields just started feeding clean electricity into Indiana's power grid, marking another step in the state's quiet renewable energy revolution.

EDP Renewables flipped the switch on Riverstart Solar IV in Randolph County this month, bringing 150 megawatts of generating capacity online. That's enough to power more than 28,800 homes and businesses across Indiana with electricity generated right in their own backyard.

The project makes EDP Renewables the largest wind and solar operator in Indiana, with about 2 gigawatts of total capacity now running in the state. That's enough clean power for more than 527,000 homes, a number that would have seemed impossible just a decade ago.

But the impact goes way beyond the power lines. Riverstart Solar IV is expected to generate more than $88 million in local economic benefits over time, with about $51 million going directly to schools, roads, emergency services, and parks through tax revenue and agreements.

Local landowners hosting the solar panels will receive roughly $35 million in lease payments, turning farmland into a reliable income source without stopping other uses. Construction alone supported about 625 jobs and brought $2.2 million in regional spending to the area.

Randolph County officials are counting on about $65 million in revenue from the project by 2038, money that can fund infrastructure upgrades without raising taxes. EDP Renewables has already donated more than $565,000 to local groups supporting everything from youth sports to disaster relief.

The Ripple Effect

Indiana currently ranks 12th among states for solar capacity, but it's climbing fast. Industry experts predict the state will add 17,230 megawatts of solar power over the next five years, a surge that would rocket Indiana to third place nationally.

That growth matters because Indiana still relies heavily on older energy sources, with nearly 60% of its power coming from coal and another 35% from natural gas. Every project like Riverstart Solar IV chips away at that dependence while creating predictable, affordable power that can be built quickly to meet growing demand from manufacturers and data centers.

The real challenge ahead isn't building more solar farms. It's upgrading the grid fast enough to handle all that new clean energy flowing into communities across the state.