Wind & Solar Leasing in Hardin County, OH

Hardin County's renewable-energy footprint isn't a single project or a live proposal -- it's roughly 800 megawatts of combined wind and solar capacity already operating across three Invenergy solar phases and RWE's Scioto Ridge Wind Farm. Here's what that established footprint means for a landowner evaluating a lease, or a buyer looking at land nearby.

This page covers what's specific to Hardin County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

Hardin Solar: three phases, roughly 550 MW, on more than 1,500 acres

Invenergy has built three successive phases of the Hardin Solar Energy Center across Marion, Roundhead, and McDonald Townships. Hardin Solar I and Hardin Solar II each generate roughly 150 MW; Hardin Solar III was certificated by the Ohio Power Siting Board (Case No. 20-1678-EL-BGN) for up to 300 MW across roughly 1,534 acres and began commercial operation in June 2025, with reporting on its commissioned output most often citing 250 MW. WEC Energy Group is the majority owner of Hardin III, and Microsoft is the purchaser of its electricity and associated renewable energy credits -- a fairly typical structure for recent large Ohio solar projects, where the developer, the eventual owner, and the corporate power buyer are often three separate companies.

For a landowner in or near these three townships, the practical reality is that Hardin Solar is an established, multi-phase neighbor rather than a single, one-time project -- meaning a new lease inquiry for adjacent land is more likely to be an expansion or a related project than an entirely unconnected proposal. If you're evaluating land near the Hardin Solar footprint, ask directly whether a specific parcel falls within any recorded project boundary, buffer, or access easement tied to any of the three phases.

Scioto Ridge: RWE's first Ohio wind farm, spanning two counties

RWE's Scioto Ridge Wind Farm sits across Hardin and neighboring Logan Counties: 75 Siemens Gamesa turbines generating a combined 250 MW, which began commercial operation in June 2021 as RWE Renewables' first wind project in Ohio. The project is reported to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of roughly 60,000 homes annually, and RWE has stated the project contributed more than $75 million to local governments, school districts, and participating landowners over its development and early operation.

Because the project straddles a county line, a landowner near its footprint in Hardin County should be aware that turbines, access roads, and collection lines may cross township and county boundaries even where a specific lease agreement covers only Hardin County land -- worth asking a leasing company directly how a given parcel's turbine or easement layout fits into the wider two-county project, and confirming recorded easements with the Hardin County Recorder.

If you're evaluating a lease offer, or land near either project

A Hardin County landowner receiving a wind or solar lease inquiry today is dealing with a county that already has three built solar phases and one operating wind farm as a track record, not an unproven concept -- worth asking a prospective developer how their proposed terms (payment structure, easement scope, decommissioning obligations, and lease term) compare to what's publicly known about Hardin Solar's and Scioto Ridge's own arrangements, and having any new lease reviewed by an attorney experienced in Ohio wind and solar leases before signing, since these agreements commonly run for decades.

A buyer evaluating land near either project's footprint should check the Hardin County Recorder for any recorded lease, easement, or right-of-way affecting a specific parcel or an adjoining tract, and confirm with the relevant township trustees whether local zoning (where it exists) has been updated since either project went through its own Ohio Power Siting Board approval process, since township zoning and OPSB's own siting authority operate on separate, sometimes overlapping tracks under Ohio law.

Wind and Solar Leasing in Hardin County, Ohio

Hardin Solar: three phases, roughly 550 MW, on more than 1,500 acres

Scioto Ridge: RWE's first Ohio wind farm, spanning two counties

If you're evaluating a lease offer, or land near either project

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