According to a press release cited by statewide media outlets this week, Amazon has entered into power purchase agreements (PPA) with three solar installations in Ohio.

PPA are long-term contracts to purchase electricity produced by future renewable energy projects.

The locations cited in Amazon’s announcement are Champaign County, Fayette County and Crawford County.

Amazon declined to identify the exact names or locations of the solar installations chosen for the PPA.

Champaign and Crawford counties each are set to host state-approved solar installations, but none are yet filed with the state in Fayette County.

One state-certificated solar project in Adams Township in Champaign County, owned by Clearview/Algonquin, is planned to cover more than 1,000 acres of privately-leased land. Clearview did not respond this week to inquiries about Amazon’s announcement about Champaign County.

The project is listed on the Ohio Power Siting Board’s website as approved and under construction. Champaign County commissioners in 2022 declined to grant Clearview tax-favored payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) status. For this reason, the installation would be taxed under regular terms.

Installations greater than a specific megawatt production output target must be approved by the state. These projects can be tracked through the OPSB’s website.

Installations that are smaller are not part of the state process. As a result, they are less easily identified.