Ohio’s old coal mines found a second life powering 149 megawatts of solar energy across reclaimed Appalachian land that once fueled the industry now being replaced and regulators couldn’t find a single reason to say no

Vinton County, Ohio, sits deep in Appalachian hill country, its economy long shaped by coal, iron, and clay — industries that have largely faded, leaving roughly one in five residents in poverty today.

So when state regulators recently approved a 149-megawatt solar and battery storage project there, the outcome was notable for more than its size. The Ohio Power Siting Board voted unanimously to greenlight it. Not a single party opposed the permit — a striking departure from the bruising fights that have defined clean energy permitting across the state. What made this project different is worth understanding.

A rare clean-energy win in a state known for solar battles

The Ohio Power Siting Board’s unanimous approval of the Hamden Energy site covers 149 megawatts of solar generation paired with 149 megawatts of battery storage. The vote’s unanimity, though, may matter more than the numbers.

Soil conditions, uneven terrain, and the need to work around or after remediation all add complexity — and that’s before a shovel breaks ground.

Ohio’s solar permitting landscape has been defined by conflict since 2021, when Senate Bill 52 added regulatory hurdles for solar and wind projects that don’t apply to fossil fuel generation. Local governments gained new power to block renewable projects outright, and developers learned to brace for opposition. Against that backdrop, a permit case with zero opposing parties stands out sharply.

The key differentiator was the land itself. Recurrent Energy proposed building on reclaimed coal mine property, sidestepping the farmland objections that have derailed other Ohio solar projects — and Vinton County’s board of commissioners, who held veto power under SB 52, chose not to use it.

Why former mine land changes the political calculus

Opposition to solar farms in Ohio often centers on agricultural land use. Critics argue that panels displace productive farmland — even though, as regulators have noted, solar occupies less land statewide than golf courses and can coexist with some farming practices. Former industrial sites reframe that argument entirely.

Vinton County’s commissioners passing on their veto sent a meaningful signal. Under SB 52, unanimous local government opposition has been enough to kill projects regardless of whether objections were factual or opinion-based. Their silence here kept the project alive.

Public comment was mixed but not hostile. Of the roughly 25 people who commented in the docket or spoke at a June 10 local hearing, the most common concern was practical: would remediation be finished before construction began? Recurrent Energy answered that directly, agreeing to start construction only after Cheyenne Resources — which holds the surface mining permit — completes reclamation work. That commitment appeared to satisfy the board.

The trade-offs of building solar on brownfields

Reclaimed mine land isn’t an easy canvas. According to RMI, a clean energy think tank, former mine sites and industrial brownfields typically cost more to develop than greenfield sites. Soil conditions, uneven terrain, and the need to work around or after remediation all add complexity — and that’s before a shovel breaks ground.

Recurrent Energy’s senior development manager Ali Trunzo declined to share specific cost figures for the Hamden project, though she acknowledged that specialized methods and equipment may be required to adapt to the site’s soils and terrain. An honest signal that the economics aren’t simple.

Still, the political math may outweigh the financial premium. A project that can actually get permitted and built — even at higher development cost — beats one that stalls indefinitely in regulatory conflict. The Hamden site isn’t the first to test this logic in Ohio. The Vinton Solar Energy Center received approval back in 2018 and remains under construction by developer Invenergy, proof that coal-to-solar conversions can move through Ohio’s system, even if slowly.

A new policy framework opens the door to more projects

Ohio isn’t waiting for developers to find mine land on their own. House Bill 15, signed into law in 2025, formally designates former mine lands and industrial brownfields as priority investment areas for energy development — a policy shift with substantial scale behind it.

RMI data suggests Ohio has more than 70,000 acres that could qualify under the program. Rules from the Ohio Department of Development took effect two months ago, and the state has already begun identifying its first designated sites. As of late August, one of the first two areas includes both former coal mine land and an industrial site.

HB 15 carries another important provision. According to The Nature Conservancy’s Rebecca Mellino, the law doesn’t just create priority areas — it also allows counties to host solar on former mine sites and brownfields even where SB 52 exclusions might otherwise apply. In a state where the 2021 law has functioned as a significant brake on renewable development, that carve-out matters.

Clean energy advocates celebrate — with caution

Environmental and clean energy groups welcomed the Hamden approval without overselling it. Mellino called the reuse of former mining land “a win-win for Ohio consumers and the environment.” Chris Tavenor, general counsel for the Ohio Environmental Council — a party in the case — described projects like Hamden Energy as vital to bringing affordable, dependable power online.

Tavenor’s praise came with a clear-eyed warning, though. Without broader reform to Ohio’s energy siting process, he said, energy costs will keep rising alongside growing electricity demand. That concern isn’t abstract: a bill passed by the Ohio Senate this spring — SB 294 — could make it significantly harder, or in some cases impossible, for solar and wind projects to advance statewide. It now sits in the Ohio House.

The Hamden project is a model, stakeholders agree. But one unanimous approval in Vinton County doesn’t rewrite Ohio’s energy permitting rules. Watch whether HB 15’s priority area designations expand, whether SB 294 advances or stalls in the House, and whether other developers follow Recurrent Energy’s blueprint onto reclaimed land. Those are the signals that will show whether this win is a turning point — or an exception.

Daniel Garcia

Daniel García is an Editor-in-Chief with strong expertise in structural work and engineering principles. He combines this technical foundation with deep knowledge of energy, spatial design, and emerging technologies, bringing a forward-thinking and analytical approach to editorial leadership.