LG&E and KU expand Solar Share Facility to more than 2 MW of production

In Kentucky, Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities (KU) completed work on the fifth section of their Solar Share Facility in Kentucky’s Shelby County this month, bringing the project to more than 6,000 solar panels producing more than 2 MW of power.

As a result, the approximately 500 subscribers to the new section, both business and residential, will earn monthly bill credits based on their subscription level. Construction on each section – undertaken by Solar Alliance Energy Inc. – proceed as they become fully subscribed. The partners intend to create eight sections to the Solar Share project, totaling 4 MW of production.

“Our portfolio of sustainable tools and programs, like Solar Share, makes it possible for customers to support local and regional renewable energy on their own terms by personalizing their participation levels to match their interests,” John Crockett, LG&E and KU president, said. “Together with our customers, we’re empowering a cleaner, sustainable energy future for Kentucky.”

The Solar Share facility has been growing since 2019. In that time, it has produced more than 5.4 million kW hours of energy and accumulated more than 2,800 subscribing customers. This has allowed its customers to support solar energy production for as small an investment as 20 cents per day while avoiding the heavier expenses of installation and maintenance for a private system.

This has also grown LG&E and KU’s commitments – echoing their parent company, PPL – to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and interim emission reductions of 70 percent by 2035 and 80 percent by 2040. Those figures are based against 2010 levels of emissions.