Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives Inc. (IEA), an infrastructure construction company with specialized energy and heavy civil knowledge, has been awarded a 20 MW AC solar project in Indiana. The contract was secured by White Construction, a subsidiary of IEA that manages utility-scale renewable energy and heavy civil infrastructure projects.
The award is for construction of the South Bend Photovoltaic (PV) Facility near South Bend, Ind. The plant will be built on a 200-acre site in northern Indiana and is expected to use nearly 60,000 modules. Once complete, the South Bend facility will more than double the region’s electricity production from solar energy resources.
The University of Notre Dame has committed to supporting 40% of the renewable attributes of the solar facility, which is scheduled to be fully operational by December.
IEA will perform the entire project, including design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the facility. In addition, IEA will construct all of the access roads, fencing, foundations, electrical collection and trackers.
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), an operating company of American Electric Power, is the lead developer on the project.
“There is tremendous growth expected for the solar industry over the next few years, with nearly 3 percent of homes in the U.S. predicted to be powered by solar by 2024,” says Chris Hanson, executive vice president of renewable energy at IEA.
“IEA remains committed to expanding the use of reliable and efficient solar energy across the nation. We are very pleased to be able to partner with AEP on this exciting solar project to bring additional renewable energy capacity to our home state of Indiana,” he adds.
IEA and its affiliates have constructed more than 800 MW AC of solar farms across the U.S. and Canada.
Photo: Technicians from White Construction working on the David Brown Solar project
