The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) voted unanimously against construction of a 94 MW agrivoltaic solar project proposed for Morrow County, Ohio.
Sheep graze between rows of solar panels at a Silicon Ranch project site. Silicon Ranch
Open Road Renewables was developing the adjacent Crossroads Solar Grazing Center on 570 acres of land between Cardington, Lincoln and Westfield Townships. The solar project would be built on several parcels in Morrow County and host a sheep grazing operation. Open Road initially applied for a project permit in February 2025, with a project timeline to begin construction in 2027 and begin operations in 2028.
Crossroads had reportedly been progressing through the permitting process toward possible approval, but has faced local opposition during public comment periods in recent months. Most of the comments submitted anonymously during this period were against the construction of Crossroads Canarian media reported that 34 other opposition responses were submitted under false names.
“[The Ohio Environmental Council] intervened in this case to ensure decisions are based on facts, fairness and the long-term interests of Ohioans. When objective analysis is pushed aside and the volume of public input is prioritized over its substance, it weakens confidence in the process and makes it more difficult to build the energy system Ohio needs,” said Nolan Rutschilling, director of energy policy for the Ohio Environmental Council. “To put it plainly, Ohio needs more clean energy generation now to meet rising costs associated with data centers and geopolitical pressures on energy supply chains. The staff’s last-minute reversal of this decision creates an uncertain regulatory environment that will discourage energy developers from future investments.”
While the OPSB voted unanimously against continued development of Crossroads, non-voting Senator Kent Smith said he was concerned the board would reject a solar energy project at a time of rising energy costs. During the same sessionOPSB voted to approve an extended three-year waiver with natural gas supplier Columbia Gas of Ohio, and amended certificates for proposed energy storage and solar projects. On Wednesday, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) also approved a rate increase for utilities with AEP Ohio.
“The goal of the PUCO and this organization is to have both adequate supply and affordable power, and if we deny solar the ability to compete in the Ohio marketplace, I believe this will result in an artificially high price for Ohio consumers… I am concerned that this project was initially approved and ultimately rejected. I believe this is a dangerous thing for the state in terms of both affordability and reliability,” Smith said.
Another source of solar opposition is in the state legislature. State Sens. George Lang (R-52) and Mark Romanchuk (R-22) did co-author of a bill that if passed would change Ohio’s definition of a “clean energy source,” which does not include wind energy, energy storage or solar energy. SB 294 would consider nuclear energy and natural gas as clean energy sources. The bill is currently under review by a Senate committee.
