5 things to know about solar farms as St. Joseph County sets new restrictions

The Virginia-based company Hexagon Energy so far plans to set up solar panels on 2,300 to 2,500 acres of farmland that it would lease from local property owners, Scott Remer, senior director of development for Hexagon, said. The parcels are scattered about the North Liberty area. Collectively, they could generate 300 megawatts — enough to power 50,000 homes — and would feed into the nearby Dumont electrical substation, which is known to be one of the most powerful substations in the U.S.

But Remer also said that it will be another two years before the solar panels are erected. Before that can happen, he said, it will have to be deemed feasible by the organization PJM, which coordinates the movement of electricity in a grid from New Jersey and Washington, D.C., to North Carolina to South Bend and Chicago. Remer said he is one of two Hexagon employees working on the North Liberty project. He said they’ve committed to talking with neighbors to accommodate their concerns.

Will Hexagon’s project be across the road from Potato Creek State Park?

Initially, neighbors cited that the company planned solar fields directly south of Potato Creek State Park along Indiana 4. But a more recent map from Hexagon shows nothing along Indiana 4. All of the scattered parcels with Hexagon leases are south of there.