Ohio’s PILOT program creates a True Economic Partnership and ensures a win-win scenario for the solar developer and the community where it is located. Under standard Ohio law a solar project is typically not treated as “real property”, subject to real estate tax. Instead, it would be treated as personal property and, like your car, would depreciate over time. That means tax payments may start out large but decrease quickly. Under Ohio’s PILOT statute for Qualified Energy Projects Kingwood Solar will be designated as an Alternative Energy Zone in Greene County and instead be required to pay fixed, premium, tax service payments to Greene County over the entirety of the solar project’s lifecycle.
The PILOT payments will be distributed in the same manner as personal property tax (to municipalities, school districts, etc.) and will remain constant for the life of the project. For solar projects, the PILOT payment is $7,000 per MW per year, with an additional service payment to the County’s general fund of up to $2,000 per MW per year.
Kingwood Solar and Vesper Energy will work closely with local Emergency Response Services to establish an emergency response plan and ensure that the necessary training is provided.