Betty Lynch starts her day like anyone else: she flips on the lights, makes coffee and breakfast, and watches the news. Some days she cuts the grass, or hops in her car to drive to work.
But Lynch doesn’t have to stop at the gas station on her way, or worry about her energy bill later. Her routine is powered by the solar panels on the roof of her home in Lawrence, Indiana.
“I’m doing my part to not put a bunch of carbon and ugly stuff in the air,” Lynch says.
Experts say conditions are right for a transition to solar and renewable energy in Indiana. A subsidiary of the Duke Energy Corporation, Duke Energy Renewables, has announced plans for the $180 million “Hoosier Jack” solar farm in Vigo and Sullivan counties.
The farm would exist on 1,500 acres of reclaimed surface coal mine. It would power 35,000 local residences and businesses, with no increase in Hoosiers’ bills.
According to the Environmental Resilience Institute’s Hoosier Life Survey, solar energy has become popular among the majority of Hoosiers, regardless of political affiliation.
