{"id":51757,"date":"2026-07-27T10:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T14:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=51757"},"modified":"2026-07-27T10:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T14:13:12","slug":"ohios-first-solar-powered-jail-takes-shape-in-paulding-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/ohios-first-solar-powered-jail-takes-shape-in-paulding-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio\u2019s First Solar\u2011Powered Jail Takes Shape in Paulding County"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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PAULDING \u2014 A new landmark in Ohio\u2019s clean\u2011energy progress is rising beside the Paulding County Jail, where steel racking now marks the early stages of the state\u2019s first solar\u2011powered correctional facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within weeks, the frames will hold a 385\u2011kilowatt solar array designed to meet the jail\u2019s round\u2011the\u2011clock energy demands. Combined with a 60\u2011kilowatt system being installed at the county\u2019s McDonald Pike facility, the project is expected to generate approximately 620,000 kilowatt\u2011hours of electricity each year \u2014 enough to power about 55 average Ohio homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

County officials say the initiative positions Paulding County ahead of Ohio\u2019s largest urban centers. \u201cNot Franklin County. Not Cuyahoga County. Paulding County got there first,\u201d they noted, emphasizing the significance of a small rural county leading the state in on\u2011site renewable energy at a jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of the project\u2019s cost is being offset through a federal clean\u2011energy incentive that provides direct payments to local governments equivalent to renewable energy tax credits long available to private developers. With those incentives applied, the county anticipates recovering its share of the investment in roughly six years through avoided electricity purchases \u2014 with the equipment expected to operate for decades beyond that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solar installation also reflects Paulding County\u2019s longstanding commitment to renewable energy. After Ohio enacted Amended Substitute Senate Bill 232 in 2010, the county\u2019s commissioners adopted the Alternative Energy Zone designation early, paving the way for the wind farms that now define much of the local landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edward Straley, who served on the board that approved the designation, is part of the project\u2019s legacy. His grandson, Dylan Worden of Standard Fintech LLC in Payne, serves as the owner\u2019s representative for the jail solar project. \u201cThey made that decision when it wasn\u2019t popular, and it helped identify this county on the map,\u201d Worden said. \u201cWhat\u2019s going up at the jail is the next chapter. Paulding County generating its own power, on its own terms. Powered by Paulding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As construction continues, the rows of steel rising beside the jail are already catching the attention of passing motorists. Soon, they will stand as a visible reminder that one of Ohio\u2019s smallest counties has once again achieved a statewide first \u2014 and is charting its own course toward long\u2011term, locally generated clean energy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PAULDING \u2014 A new landmark in Ohio\u2019s clean\u2011energy progress is rising beside the Paulding County Jail, where steel racking now<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":51758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2230,6,2301],"tags":[29609,29608,6092,5527,9507,29607,29610],"class_list":["post-51757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-community","category-community","category-general-news","tag-dylan-worden","tag-mcdonald-pike-facility","tag-paulding-county-jail","tag-paulding-county-sheriff","tag-paulding-ohio","tag-solar-powered-jail","tag-standard-fintech-llc"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t