How Communities Benefit

Local Revenue

The Facts

Helping our schools flourish.

Schools district are commonly one of the largest beneficiaries of renewable energy projects, bringing new resources to districts that allow them to expand student programs, bring new tools and technologies classrooms, and both hire and retain teachers, staff, and coaches – all while helping avoid additional bonds for taxpayers.

Boosting community resources.

Local governments often negotiate specific terms with renewable project developers that help communities develop new community centers, libraries, recreation facilities, and more in addition to supporting local emergency services like police, fire, and EMS.

Improving roads and infrastructure.

Renewable energy developers often construct new roads or improve existing ones as part of making project sites more accessible to workers. Counties also commonly allocate tax revenue to enhance infrastructure like roadways and bridges, and use revenues to fund long-term upgrades towns typically save up for.

Reducing taxes on local residents.

When states and municipalities have steady revenue from renewable energy projects, some choose to pass those savings on to residents in the form of direct payments to taxpayers or elimination of local taxes partially or entirely.

Case Study

A Brighter Future Starts Here at Home.

I grew up here in East Central Ohio, surrounded by farmland, state parks, and hard-working people. This is home. For a long time, I believed that if you wanted a good career, you had to leave this community behind. You had to get a college degree, move to a big city, and chase opportunity somewhere else.

Today, I know that is not true.

Through my work with IBEW Local 1105, I have seen firsthand how new opportunities, especially in industries like solar, are changing that story. You do not have to leave home to have a future. You can build it right here.

Solar is not a silver bullet. It is one important piece of a bigger puzzle. It gives us a chance to create jobs that pay well, provide benefits, and keep families rooted in the places they love. It strengthens the grid at a time when our energy needs are growing. And for farmers in our region, it offers a way to lease land without selling out to developers or strip malls, keeping rural communities strong.

For me, solar is also about healing some of the struggles I have seen growing up—generational poverty, economic instability, and the feeling that opportunity was always somewhere else. Projects like these help change that.

If we welcome smart investments like solar, we can honor what makes rural Ohio special while building a future where the next generation has even more to be proud of.

Ashley L. – IBEW Business Development Liaison

For me, solar is also about healing some of the struggles I have seen growing up—generational poverty, economic instability, and the feeling that opportunity was always somewhere else. Projects like these help change that.

PYC & Local Revenue

What We’re Doing

Helping host communities and renewable energy project developers understand the benefits and impacts of renewable energy investments.
Educating community members about where tax revenues go and where they’ll see improvements as projects come online.
Promoting the successes of real communities that have seen economic growth and community benefits because of renewable energy projects.