Mammoth Solar Explained

Mammoth Solar
Coordinates:40.994°N -86.825°W
Country:United States
Location:Indiana
Construction Began:October 2021
Commissioned:July 2024 (phase 1)
Owner:Doral Energy
Solar Type:PV
Ps Site Area:13000acres
Ps Electrical Capacity:1,600 MWDC1,300 MWAC

Mammoth Solar is a 1,600 - megawatt (MWDC) solar photovoltaic power project in Pulaski and Starke Counties, Indiana, United States. The plant is being constructed in three phases and will be the largest photovoltaic power stations in the United States and western hemisphere when complete.[1] The first section of 480 MW came online in July 2024.[2] The project is being developed by Doral Renewables, a subsidiary of Israeli company Doral Energy, and is expected to cost . It will produce enough electricity to power 250,000 homes.[3]

Project

Doral Energy has contracts with about 60 landowners to use approximately 13000acres of land for the project, though excluding setbacks, forests, and wetlands, the 2.85 million solar panels will cover only about 2500acres. Most of the farmland is used for corn ethanol production; powering gasoline cars with bioethanol consumes around 70 times more land than powering electric vehicles with solar power.[4] Doral is working with landowners to support dual uses of the project land as agrivoltaics to allow for sheep grazing and crop farming around the solar panels, including research on plant growth under panels.[5]

The phases will use three points of interconnection on a 345 kV power line to deliver power into the PJM Interconnection. American Electric Power has power purchase agreements for electricity produced in phases one and two and half of phase three. Constellation Energy has a power purchase agreements on the other half of the power in phase three, passed on to four corporations.[6]

Pulaski and Starke Counties will see per year in additional property tax revenue for the life of the project, about a fifth of their budgets. Pulaski County also designated the project an Economic Revitalization Area, granting it a tax abatement; the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected a lawsuit challenging the designation.[7] Local landowners are paid about per acre leased.[8]

The project's name references mastodon fossils that were unearthed in the region of the solar project, now on display at the National Museum of Natural History.[9] [10]

NIMBY groups have organized against the project and filed suit against Pulaski County's zoning approval.[11]

Phases and construction

SOLV Energy is the project's EPC contractor.

The Mammoth North phase in Starke County had a groundbreaking ceremony in October 2021. Construction began in March 2022 and it was completed in July 2024 with a capacity of 480 MWDC/400 MWAC.[12] The project uses 540-watt modules from Trina Solar.[13]

The second phase, Mammoth South in Pulaski County, had a groundbreaking ceremony in November 2022. Construction is expected to begin in 2024, and it will have a capacity of 300 MWAC.[14]

Indiana governor Eric Holcomb attended groundbreaking ceremonies for both phases.

Work on the 600 MWAC third phase, Mammoth Central in Pulaski County, may begin in 2025.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mills . Wes . November 3, 2022 . Mammoth Solar enters next phase of $1.5B project . 2023-07-28 . Inside INdiana Business . en-US . July 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240726201711/https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/mammoth-solar-enters-next-phase-of-1-5b-project . live .
  2. Web site: Brown . Alex . July 9, 2024 . Doral CEO excited to bring Mammoth North Solar project to the grid . 2024-07-11 . Inside INdiana Business . en-US . July 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240711191034/https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/doral-ceo-excited-to-bring-mammoth-north-solar-project-to-the-grid . live .
  3. Web site: Bowman . Sarah . 9 November 2021 . Northwest Indiana will be home to largest solar farm in U.S., covering 13,000 acres . 2023-07-28 . . en-US . July 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240726201711/https://www.indystar.com/story/news/environment/2021/11/09/indiana-solar-panel-farm-largest-united-states-doral-renewables-energy-mammoth-starke-county/8529759002/ . live .
  4. Web site: Mathewson . Paul . Bosch . Nicholas . January 19, 2023 . Corn Ethanol vs. Solar Land Use Comparison . Clean Wisconsin . November 28, 2023 . December 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204073347/https://www.cleanwisconsin.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Corn-Ethanol-Vs.-Solar-Analysis-V3-9-compressed.pdf . live .
  5. Web site: Charron . Cate . Mammoth Solar project doubles land use with local animal, crop production . 2023-11-28 . Inside INdiana Business . en-US . February 13, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240213181024/https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/mammoth-solar-project-doubles-land-use-with-local-animal-crop-production . live .
  6. Web site: Mammoth Central Solar . 2024-02-13 . Doral Renewables LLC . February 13, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240213181019/https://doral-llc.com/projects/mammoth-central/ . live .
  7. Web site: Shrake . Alexa . 2023-09-07 . Economic incentives for Pulaski Co. solar facilities upheld in related cases . 2023-12-09 . The Indiana Lawyer . en-US . December 9, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231209202158/https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/economic-incentives-for-pulaski-co-solar-facilities-upheld-in-related-cases . live .
  8. Web site: Brooker . Jena . 2022-01-05 . The country's biggest solar farm is coming to one of the coal-friendliest states . 2023-07-28 . Grist . en-us . July 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240726201726/https://grist.org/energy/the-countrys-biggest-solar-farm-is-coming-to-one-of-the-coal-friendliest-states/ . live .
  9. Web site: Mammoth Solar breaks ground in Pulaski County for next phase of $1.5B solar farm in Northwest Indiana . 2023-07-28 . Pulaski Post . July 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230728054048/https://www.pulaskipost.com/index.php/4-news/news/9013-mammoth-solar-breaks-ground-in-pulaski-county-for-next-phase-of-1-5b-solar-farm-in-northwest-indiana . live .
  10. Web site: Gerke . Paul . 2024-01-25 . Mastodon skulls, homemade beer, and the largest solar project in America: A Mammoth update . 2024-02-13 . Renewable Energy World . en-US . January 25, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240125173933/https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/mastodon-skulls-homemade-beer-and-the-largest-solar-project-in-america-a-mammoth-update/ . live .
  11. News: Milman . Oliver . 2022-10-30 . 'It's got nasty': the battle to build the US's biggest solar power farm . 2023-07-28 . . en-GB . 0261-3077 . July 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240726201713/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/30/its-got-nasty-the-battle-to-build-the-uss-biggest-solar-power-farm . live .
  12. Web site: Mammoth North Solar . 2024-02-13 . Doral Energy . February 13, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240213181017/https://doral-llc.com/projects/mammoth-north-solar/ . live .
  13. Web site: Mammoth North . 2024-02-13 . SOLV Energy . en . July 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240726201713/https://www.solvenergy.com/projects/mammoth-north . live .
  14. Web site: Mammoth South Solar . 2024-02-13 . Doral Energy . February 13, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240213181015/https://doral-llc.com/projects/mammoth-south-solar/ . live .

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