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As someone who has spent much of my career working to bring opportunities to Indiana’s rural communities, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of renewable energy. The conversation about wind, solar and battery storage is more than sustainability and grid diversification. It’s about more than jobs, tax revenue and keeping Indiana competitive in a rapidly changing economy. The clean-energy conversation is about how we best serve our communities, our landowners and our people.
Here in Warren County, the Jordan Creek Wind Farm has been an incredible success for keeping our government well-funded so it can better serve our residents. The project put $6.7 million into the Jordan Creek fund over the last three years for our local government. This is increasing our local tax revenue, which is funding schools, road improvements and essential services without raising property taxes on residents. Warren County’s annual operating budget for 2025 is $12.2 million. It’s easy math to see the wind farm’s immediate impact, but it’s almost impossible to believe that an energy project could do so much for us.
Clean-energy projects start generating positive outcomes for their communities as soon as they start construction, and they continue to do so for years after they begin operation.
I look at the impact that the project is having on our local generational farm landowners. In today’s economy, a corn planter can cost more than a quarter of a million dollars, and an upgrade on that machine can cost almost $100,000. The confidence that comes from knowing that the annual payment from wind farms on a farmer’s property will help offset a significant portion of those costs is remarkable.
Clean energy has the power not only to keep farms viable but also to enable them to be more profitable and to survive the current depressed grain prices. The annual land lease payment income does more than just assist in affording farm equipment. Landowners don’t have to save for years just to take a trip to see their grandchildren. That’s all thanks to the checks coming in from energy projects on their land—checks that keep coming for years over the life of a lease agreement.
These projects mean new life for rural communities that have faced decades of population decline and shrinking tax bases. During construction, these projects create hundreds of jobs, from heavy equipment operators to electricians and engineers. The operations and maintenance roles they leave behind are well-paid, stable careers that don’t require leaving your hometown. In a state where too many young people feel they have had to move away to find good jobs, renewable energy is helping keep Hoosiers at home.
We all know farming isn’t for everyone, and these types of clean-energy careers offer new options, new opportunities and new futures for those who want to stay in Indiana but can’t find an alternative vocation that allows them to support their community.
The economic benefits extend far beyond the project site. Local restaurants feed construction crews, hardware stores see more sales, and hotels stay booked. Renewable-energy development has a ripple effect that touches nearly every corner of the community.
It is frustrating that despite all these benefits, Indiana’s ability to grow its renewable energy capacity is being held back by a patchwork of local siting rules that make it unnecessarily difficult to build. Every project must navigate a maze of differing ordinances, setbacks and permitting processes under rules that can vary widely from one county to the next.
This uncertainty drives up costs, delays construction and in some cases forces projects to break ground in other states. We need a smarter approach that respects local input but also establishes clear, consistent standards that make Indiana a welcoming place for renewable investment.
Expanding our renewable-energy portfolio is more than an important step in securing a stronger Indiana; it’s a necessary one. Indiana farmers have been supporting our communities, state and country for decades, and these wind and solar farms are now starting to return the favor. Energy development gives me hope that Indiana will be able to continue its agriculture heritage long into the future.•
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Eberly is executive director of the Warren County Economic Development Corp.
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