COLUMBUS, Ohio — Some Ohioans are putting their energy behind backing renewable energy alternatives and supporting legislation stalled in the Statehouse.

What You Need To Know

  • Republican lawmakers proposed bills in the Ohio House (HB 197) and Senate (SB 247) that would create community solar panel projects. Both are in committees in their respective chambers

  • American Electric Power publicly opposed the Ohio House version of the measure during hearings on HB 197

  • Farmers, students and other community solar advocates gathered outside AEP Tuesday to ask the company to stop lobbying against the measures and allow them to be brought to a vote

Ohio House Bill 197 and Ohio Senate Bill 247 would both create community solar projects and offer Ohioans the option of using renewable resources. The House version has spent more than a year in the House Public Utilities Committee. The Senate’s companion bill was introduced in April and made it on the agenda for a June Energy and Public Utilities Committee meeting.

A group of activists gathered outside American Electric Power’s office tower in Columbus Tuesday to ask the company to stop advocating against the measures. AEP has publicly opposed the House bill during testimony.

With the measure not moving forward, its stopping Mark Clay from leasing part of his 42-acres of farmland in Ashtabula County to a private company to install and operate solar panels.

“Every year it’s a little harder to farm the farm,” Clay said. “So I thought it might be a good opportunity for us to be able to keep the farm and use part of it while we get some monetary value out of it.”

Clay said it sounded like a win-win to him. The panels on his property would generate energy for the community, he said.

“I think it would drive electric prices down for people,” he said. “And we live in a pretty depressed area, so that would be helping him.”

But going green isn’t always easy in Ohio.

Clay shared his story outside AEP’s building to help urge the company to drop its fight against the community solar bills, alongside other advocates. Including Democratic State Sen. Kent Smith, D–Euclid.

“It would be good for everybody, except for perhaps the company whose sidewalk we’re standing in front of right now,” Smith said.

Smith is the ranking Democrat on the Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee. He supports the legislation proposed by Republicans in both chambers of the Statehouse that would create community solar panel programs. But he said the measures are at a standstill because of AEP’s opposition.

AEP provided a statement: “AEP Ohio, and several groups representing Ohio consumers, oppose the legislation because it shifts costs to customers who don’t sign up for the program. At a time when consumers have options to support renewable energy projects through Ohio’s deregulated energy marketplace, there is no reason to create a new program that would lead to customers paying more for something they are not benefiting from.”

But Smith said the solar panels would add versatility to the state’s power grid at little to no expense, with private companies covering the cost of installation, maintenance and connection to the power grid, and renewable resources like wind and sun, free to harness for energy.

“News flash, we’re going to have to build more transmission regardless of if there’s community solar or not, because the electric demand for the region, for central Ohio, for the urban areas of Ohio, is only increasing,” he said.

Asking for Ohioans to have a choice in deciding their own energy sources.

“What will their future be? “ Smith said. “Will it be clean, green and prosperous? Or will Ohio continue to live in the smog age?”