1st project in 1.3-GW Indiana solar complex nears operation

Doral Renewables, a clean energy project developer, is anticipating commercial operation of its 400-MW Mammoth North Solar project, the first phase of the 1.3-GW Mammoth Solar complex in Indiana. The Mammoth North Solar project will soon be the largest operating solar installation in Indiana and can provide sustainable energy to 75,000 households annually.

The company was joined at a ribbon cutting event by Indiana’s Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg, landowners, representatives from SOLV Energy, Nextracker, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and other industry representatives and project stakeholders.

“Celebrating Mammoth North’s commercial operations with our community partners, elected representatives and, of course, Sec. Rosenberg validates that rural Indiana is the best place to energize the next wave of power-hungry, job-creating businesses in America,” said Nick Cohen, president and CEO of Doral Renewables. “Starting with a farmer and one field near a discovered pile of Wooly Mammoth bones, the project quickly morphed into 75 farm fields representing hundreds of people. With animals and new food crops, the project is bringing back heritage farming and preserving the farms for future generations. And, every county resident gets the benefit of millions of dollars in our tax and economic payments.”

More than 1,500 sheep serve as the project’s vegetation management, an operation run by local farmer Billy Bope.

“The dual-use opportunities presented by Mammoth Solar are a win-win scenario. We’re able to diversify our farming practices with livestock, which allows us to maintain the vegetation to the level Mammoth North needs,” Bope said. “Specifically for my family, Mammoth Solar also allows the next generations of Bopes to stay on our family’s farm.”

The project’s partners emphasized its role in supplying clean, renewable power to the grid while relying on American labor and materials for its construction.

“We’re immensely proud to partner with leading developer Doral Renewables on the Mammoth Solar Project here in Indiana using American-made components,” said Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextracker, the project’s tracker manufacturer. “The system is designed for dual use so local farmers can raise livestock and harvest lower-cost clean power on the same farm.” “As a solar contractor, our focus is on ensuring that all project stakeholders receive the maximum benefit that renewable energy can deliver to communities,” added George Hershman, CEO of SOLV Energy, the project’s Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) provider. “Partnering with Doral on Mammoth North created job training and learning opportunities for area workers and K-12 students and resulted in long-term revenue sources that will support local services and landowners for years to come.”

News item from Doral Renewables