Second Wadsworth solar field up and running

WADSWORTH — Two solar fields are now open in Wadsworth after a new site at 10000 Rittman Road began producing commercial power Monday. Construction there began across 10 acres in February with initial testing of output starting in May. That followed the opening of a larger solar field at 1040 and 1040 Seville Road, which began producing power on March 1 using roughly 23,000 panels across 39 acres. City public service director Robert Patrick said the Seville Road field produced 1.030 gigawatt hours of power during the month of April. Production there since opening has had an "environmental impact" equal to 42,100 trees being planted or 1.2 million gallons of water, according to a website providing real-time data. Patrick said that site will soon be made available to the public online. "These have been exciting steps for us and it's going to help us avoid having to seek energy from outside sources and cut down on transmission capacity charges," he said. "AMP was looking for host sites to become a part of this project and it's definitely been beneficial for us." Land for both sites was annexed from Wadsworth Township in 2019. Florida-based NextEra Energy then built the solar fields for American Municipal Power, which is the generator of the electricity. While panels on Seville Road track the sun throughout the day, those on Rittman Road don't due to that site not being ideal for mechanical units needed for tracking functionality. A 6.25-megawatt capacity at Seville Road is enough power for 4,375 U.S. homes. Capacity on Rittman Road reaches 2.62 megawatts, enough for 1,837 homes. Across all sources that Wadsworth receives power from, which can range from nuclear to hydroelectric, the city pays an average of $80 per megawatt hour. Power brought into Wadsworth so far at the new solar fields has averaged out to $38 per megawatt hour, said Patrick. "This all adds up to less times where we have to go out to the main grid for energy," he said. "When you go out to the grid you take on those charges for transmission and the capacity is the mount we need to pay to help support those large plants. Those two charges are what we're trying to minimize. You do that with these kinds of 'behind the meter' projects." Patrick said other sites in Wadsworth were considered for an even broader solar stamp within the city. "We tried because AMP's total solar project was slated for 60.5 megawatts and they ended up being a megawatt short," he said. "They were trying to get as many sites as possible. There was one more we had our eye on but just weren't able to get it done." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at 330-721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.