Riverstart Solar Park

We are on track to be operational by the end of 2026. This would mean commencing construction on the switchyard and substation during Summer 2025, and then constructing the solar panel arrays in Fall 2025. We will also be resurfacing roads as per the terms of our Road Use Agreement with Randolph County (see below for more details on the RUA) once heavy construction use has concluded, which we anticipate being Summer 2026. All of the above is subject to change, as many factors have to align with construction contractor schedules, materials delivery, commercial contracting, etc. We will update our webpage, riverstartsolarpark.com, with any changes and are always happy to respond to inquiries in the meantime. 

Riverstart V Solar Park will use photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, which are the same type as the earlier three phases of Riverstart Solar Park that are already in operation or construction. The exact manufacturer and model have not been finalized. Our Procurement department is tasked with sourcing the best-suited panels available for a given project, assessing criteria such as efficiency for the specific site conditions, reliability metrics, warranties, cost effectiveness, and more.  

EDPR NA does not use Chinese solar panels. Currently, most solar panels are made in Southeast Asia. EDPR NA supports the rapid growth of American-made solar panels and uses them whenever feasible. We are constantly updating its procurement relationships and strategy to remain on the cutting edge of the best, most cost-effective state-of-the-art panels as domestic supply increases. Recent federal incentives are driving solar panel manufacturers to bring new facilities to the U.S., and our team is working to procure these American-made panels for future projects. Essentially all solar developers prioritize American-made panels, so there sometimes isn’t adequate supply available. Outside of the U.S., solar panels are typically manufactured elsewhere in Asia, particularly in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia.  

Solar panels are 90% by mass glass and aluminum. Behind the glass is encapsulant material, which is typically a type of polymer similar to what is used in car windshields and fully seals the interior components from air and water, even if cracked. Inside the encapsulant is the silicon solar cell itself, and copper to wire the cells together. The underside of the panel is either a foil backing or a second sheet of glass. There are no liquids inside the panels, so nothing can leak out, even if damaged. 

Negligible. Everything inside the solar panel is fully sealed inside a polymer encapsulant and sandwiched between panes of glass. Nothing but the glass and aluminum frames are exposed to the elements, so nothing can leach out during regular operation.  

In the event the panels are damaged, the glass stays together because of the encapsulant, similar to a phone screen or car windshield, again preventing anything from leaching out of the panel.  

In the rare case that really extreme, heavy damage were to occur, there still isn’t enough concerning material inside the panels for leaching to be an environmental risk. During the construction and operations of the solar park, if a panel is broken, it would be picked up immediately upon discovery and, in most cases, sent for recycling. Solar manufacturers are required by EDPR to provide studies to analyze what exactly would happen if a pulverized panel was left in extreme conditions, similar to a landfill over many decades. Broken panels in the field are not exposed to this level of harsh conditions. EDP also has very robust recycling commitments, so it is unlikely broken panels would ultimately end up pulverized in a landfill.  

There is nothing emanating from the solar project to affect neighboring livestock. There have even been many studies from public universities across the country, including Purdue University, that have found success in directly combining grazing livestock beneath solar panels. Permanent livestock herds will not reside on-site at Riverstart V, although we have been using grazing sheep at earlier Riverstart phases as part of our vegetation management strategy. 

Sometimes we hear concerns about stray voltage in relation to solar projects and livestock, but that is also not a concern here. Stray voltage occurs when an electrical system is improperly grounded, which is prevented by building and operating systems to meet electrical code and best engineering practices. Given that utility-scale solar plants operate using three-phase DC/AC inverters and produce no current in-balance, it is very unlikely or impossible the solar park could produce the common causes of stray voltage – unbalanced or single-phase loads. The solar park's construction and operation is subject to safety codes, and numerous credentialed professionals are involved at every step to ensure the solar park's compliance to ensure a safe environment. Additionally, all the wiring, collection cables, and junction boxes are sealed to be both waterproof and insulated.  

Everything with an electrical current generates an electromagnetic field (EMF), including all appliances, household electronics, cell phones, Wi-Fi networks, and power lines. The electromagnetic fields generated at solar projects are similar in strength and frequency to those of toaster ovens. North Carolina State University conducted a detailed analysis that determined that there “is no conclusive and consistence evidence” of “negative health impact[s] from EMF produced in a solar farm.” EMF fields drop off significantly with distance. A report from the Massachusetts Dept. of Energy Resources found the EMF levels measured while standing next to the largest inverter at a solar project to be less than the EMF levels found when using an electric can opener, and well within established exposure limits.  

EDPR solar parks are typically required to submit a “Restoration and Financial Assurance Plan” as part of the state or county permitting process outlined in their local ordinance. The plans typically contain a detailed assessment of what it will take to remove the project and recycle or safely dispose of its components, as well as financial assurances in an amount equal to the cost estimate for decommissioning the project.  Randolph County requires financial assurance of 125% of the Net Removal cost of the project and this amount is revised every 5 years.   

As required by our lease agreements (and in many jurisdictions, the local ordinances), after a project is decommissioned, the equipment would be removed and the land can return to its original use, including farming, ranching, or recreation.  Our leases state Decommissioning must be complete within 12 months after a project is no longer operational. 

This is an extremely unlikely scenario because EDPRNA and its parent company EDP are large stable companies with a long track record of success. If that unlikely event were to occur, there are legal protections and practical protections. Each solar park constitutes a large upfront investment. The payoff for that investment occurs by operating the project over many years to recoup the cost of construction and eventually earn a profit. Because most of the costs are upfront, the projects retain a substantial value and would likely be acquired by another power company that can continue the project and continue the revenue stream without having to incur all of the upfront costs.  

It is also possible, in a worst-case scenario, the project would have to be shut down. Even in this situation, the land has protections. The lease we have with the participating landowners contains requirements regarding the removal of equipment and restoration of the land. It also requires we post either a bond, letter of credit, or cash fund, updated every 5 years to perform the removal and restoration required in the lease, even if EDPR NA was not able to complete that work directly, such as in this hypothetical scenario.  

The permits we receive through local/state/federal agencies often have requirements regarding removal, restoration, and financial security in addition to what the lease requires. The financial security under the leases and the permits provides a source of funds so that the landowner can get the equipment off of the property and move on without EDPR NA.

The solar panel fencing is simple chain-link with enough clearance underneath for smaller animals, such as rabbits, racoons, and foxes to easily pass through the site without issue. Larger animals, like deer or coyotes, would be routed around the site. Importantly, the solar project is not one contiguous block of solar panels within a single fence line – it is made up of multiple smaller sections that are individually fenced off, meaning there are ample areas for wildlife to navigate around them. If anything unusual were to occur with wildlife getting stuck in the site, the local Operations team would coordinate with the relevant authorities to safely remove the animal.  

The exact volume of grading work is not available at this time; however, due to the existing flat conditions of the planned footprint of Riverstart V there will be minimal grading work completed. A significant portion of topographic change to the area will be the installation of sediment basins which facilitate the management of water at the solar park. 

Topsoil will remain on each individual landowner’s parcel in a designated berm which is an aspect of the design we consider in determining ways to best utilize the land available. 

The solar panels should not affect cellular service or wifi. There are some anecdotal reports on online message boards and websites of companies selling signal boosters about rooftop solar panels potentially impacting that individual household’s cell service or wifi. Rooftop installations, in theory, could potentially cause an impact as a physical block between cell towers and the interior of a house, and their small electromagnetic frequencies, but neither of those factors would be the case in a ground-mounted solar project, which are not tall enough to physically disrupt a tower signal, and the inverters generating the electromagnetic fields would be hundreds of feet away from nearby residences, versus the less-than-ten feet between rooftop panels and interior home devices. Millions of Americans live beneath solar panels every day, so if this was a consistent issue, it would likely be more thoroughly documented.  

The Economic Development Agreements (EDAs) are negotiated with Randolph County to meet community needs. Often, these are needs not otherwise met by the regular property tax disbursements, and may include special projects or coverage for unforeseen expenses. Through Economic Development Agreements with Randolph County, EDP Renewables’ projects have supplied the county with an influx of funds for improvements such as bridge repairs, road repairs, emergency vehicles, funding for area school districts, wastewater infrastructure improvements, and more. See a full breakdown of our EDA payments here.

There is no direct mechanism associated with the project that would trigger any sort of tax increase for neighbors. The project is adding millions of dollars to the County budget through the Economic Development Agreements, but that has no direct bearing on how the County chooses to set property tax rates. 

Solar panels are built to withstand all kinds of harsh weather and conditions outdoors for 35 years – they are built to be tough. Of course, natural disasters can impact any built structure, and nothing is completely damage-proof. All of EDPR NA’s projects are monitored by the Remote Operations Control Center, a 24/7 staffed monitoring bay in our Houston, Texas headquarters. The ROCC receives nearly real-time data from every wind turbine and solar inverter in our fleet, monitoring for anything outside normal levels or sensor triggers. They also constantly monitor weather conditions and communicate closely with the local Operations team staffing the site on the ground. The ROCC can remotely put solar panels into certain stow settings by changing their orientation angle for different extreme weather conditions. 

If extreme damage were to occur, the projects are insured and would be dealt with appropriately. The project only generates revenue by generating power, so EDPR NA is financially incentivized to swiftly clean up and replace any damaged asset. EDPR NA is responsible for the removal of any and all waste from the site throughout the project life. This includes construction, maintenance, and decommissioning efforts on the site.

The panels are constructed of dark, light-absorbing materials designed to capture as much sunlight as possible to generate maximum energy, and any glare reflecting off would just be wasted potential energy. They are made of non-reflective glass that are typically less reflective than windows. In fact, airports were some of the first locations to deploy large ground-mounted solar panel arrays – if glare was an issue, that deployment wouldn’t have been allowed to continue. 

No deposits, grants, or checks are issued from the government to build this project or any EDP projects. After this project is built, it will qualify for certain tax incentives, like all forms of energy generation qualify for. For context, historically, fossil fuels have enjoyed significantly more of these benefits than renewables. The energy industry—not just renewables—is heavily incentivized by the US and state governments because energy security is so important for the country. Tax incentives that we receive for building projects drive down the overall cost of electricity, which is something that benefits everyone

Nuclear already has a role in the country’s energy mix and is on track to increase that role. The key to a strong American energy grid is all-of-the-above fuel diversity. The entire country’s economy and security relying upon a single fuel source would be a vulnerability. Like nuclear energy, solar energy is part of the all-of-the-above energy equation. To meet the rising energy demands we’re already seeing from widespread AI deployment and to meet the needs of increased manufacturing, more affordable power generation is needed now. A unique consideration with nuclear energy is its exceptionally long development lead time, partially due to the need for extremely thorough and stringent regulations and design protocol, given the inherent risk. So, in short, nuclear energy is absolutely part of the American energy strategy, but its ability to meet rapidly rising demands is limited, and the country benefits from having a blend of energy sources. 

According to the latest information available from the federal government’s Energy Information Administration, wind power provides 10% of Indiana’s total electricity net generation. Solar energy provided 2.5%. Indiana consumes more energy than it produces, with roughly 13% of the state’s electricity supply being imported from other states. Increasing Indiana’s solar energy production strengthens the state’s energy supply as a whole, putting more energy on the grid to power Indiana’s manufacturing industry and rising energy demands stemming from widespread AI. More Indiana-made power helps ensure Indiana’s industrial sector can keep thriving. The benefit of solar contributing to that need is that solar does so without polluting the air, water, or soil, and the land leased by solar projects puts money in regular Hoosiers’ pockets.

Sure, it is a manufactured good. Factories use whatever energy is currently on the grid, which is the result of myriad factors. We can’t manufacture goods with exclusively renewable energy until there is enough renewable energy on the grid to do so. The important part is that solar projects’ Energy Payback Time is a small fraction of its overall operational life. On average, it takes only 6 to 14 months for a typical 100 MW utility- scale solar park to generate the amount of energy that was used for its materials sourcing, manufacturing, transporting, constructing, and decommissioning. For the rest of the project’s 35+ year operational life, it is generating fossil fuel-free energy onto the grid to power America’s economy. 

The minimum setbacks established by the applicable Randolph County ordinances are: 

EDPR NA is responsible for ensuring that all public roads used during the construction and operation of the project are properly maintained and, if necessary, restored. This includes conducting thorough pre- and post-construction surveys to document the condition of the roads and committing to repair any damage caused by project-related activities. In addition, EDPR NA is required to obtain all relevant permits and comply with applicable local, state, and federal regulations governing road use and transportation.

To protect public interests, EDPR NA must maintain adequate insurance coverage and indemnify the County against any claims or damages resulting from its use of the roads. The company is also expected to maintain open communication with county officials, providing advance notice of construction schedules and major transport activities, and designating a point of contact for any road-related concerns. Finally, EDPR NA must provide financial assurance, such as a bond or other security, to cover the costs of any necessary road repairs or restoration, ensuring that public infrastructure is not adversely affected by the project.

The Decommissioning Agreement for Riverstart V establishes the legal and procedural framework for dismantling the solar project and restoring the project site at the end of its operational life. This agreement is a binding commitment between Riverstart Solar Park V LLC and Randolph County, Indiana, ensuring that the land used for the solar project is responsibly returned to its previous condition once the facility is no longer in service.

The agreement requires the Company to specify that once the solar facility is no longer in use or is deemed abandoned, the decommissioning and site restoration must be completed within 365 days of the discontinuation of energy production. This includes the removal of all above-ground infrastructure and the removal of below-ground components to a depth of 36 inches. The Company must also restore the land to a condition suitable for agricultural use or another agreed-upon state, including regrading, reseeding, and repairing any drainage systems or public infrastructure affected by the project.

A key component of the agreement is the requirement for financial assurance. The Company must provide a bond, letter of credit, or similar financial instrument to cover the full cost of decommissioning. This ensures that funds will be available to complete the decommissioning process even if the Company is unable or unwilling to do so. The financial assurance must be reviewed by a third-party engineer and updated periodically to reflect current cost estimates.

The County retains the right to enforce the agreement and, if necessary, use the financial assurance to carry out decommissioning activities. Additionally, while unlikely, if the project is sold or transferred, the new owner must assume all decommissioning obligations, ensuring continuity of responsibility.

Overall, the agreement protects the County’s interests by ensuring that the solar project does not leave behind environmental or financial burdens once it reaches the end of its life cycle. 

The visual barrier must, as defined in 19-7-3 within the Solar Ordinance, consist of evergreen vegetation or similar plantings that reach at least 7 feet in height within three years and are maintained at 15 feet. Its purpose is to obscure views of the solar equipment from adjacent homes.

Solar parks make for nearly silent neighbors. Tracking monitors and inverters may produce a quiet, ambient hum, but it typically can only be heard from within the project fence. For the solar technicians working on-site who regularly hear the project sounds, it is comparable to an air conditioner, and they are able to carry on a conversation at normal volume directly beside it. These components only make noise when working, so they are not likely to create sound at night. 

In Randolph County, the Solar Ordinance regulates sound generated by Commercial Solar Energy Systems (C-SES) to protect nearby residents and land uses. According to Section 19-7-1-15 of the ordinance, operational noise from a C-SES must not exceed 50 decibels (dBA) at the property line of any adjacent residentially zoned lot. Additionally, during nighttime hours—defined as 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.—noise levels must not exceed 45 dBA at any existing adjacent residence.