LIMA, Ohio (WLIO)– The city of Lima broke ground Thursday morning on the Twin Lakes Floating Solar Array, a multi-million-dollar renewable energy investment that’s been years in the making.
At the Twin Lakes Reservoir next to Lima’s water treatment plant, construction crews are now in motion. Work toward building the city’s $5 million floating solar array is officially underway, marking a major step in the city’s push toward cleaner, more cost-effective energy.
“Today is not just the opening of a construction site, but it’s really a symbol of powering progress. So we are installing almost 3,000 floating solar panels here on our Twin Lakes Reservoir. This project ties directly into the city’s sustainability plan, but more importantly, this is going to help save money for ratepayers and taxpayers,” said Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith.
The system will span roughly four acres of water and generate about two megawatts of power.
It’s estimated that over their lifetime, the solar panels will save the city $10 million in energy costs, including about $200,000 in their first year.
“This is kind of new technology. This is floating solar. You’re putting solar panels out, you’re not taking up farmland. It even actually has a benefit to the water because it’ll stop algae growth. And we’re going to save millions of dollars with this. So it’s not just good for the environment, it’s good for our economy and good for our costs,” said Mike Caprella, Lima’s director of utilities.
Contractors are now anchoring the system in place before installing thousands of panels over the winter and spring.
The multi-million-dollar project has been in development for nearly five years, first envisioned by former Mayor David Berger and supported with federal grants championed by Sen. Sherrod Brown.
“It was a little over four years ago when Senator Sherrod Brown came here to the water plant with Dave Berger. We talked to him, showed him the lakes, and he said, ‘What do you need from me?’ And we said, ‘Money.’ And we’ve got grants paying for more than half of this project,” Caprella said.
Contractors are now anchoring the system in place before installing thousands of panels over the winter and spring. Construction is expected to be completed by mid-2026. Once finished, Lima’s Twin Lakes Floating Solar Array will be the largest in Ohio, turning one of the city’s biggest energy consumers into a clean power producer.
