Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives broke ground Tuesday on Cooperative Solar Farm One, a 60-acre solar farm located in Clark County, Ky.

When completed in November, the not-for-profit solar farm will feature 32,300 solar panels, each of which will be available for licensing by members of the 16 participating electric cooperatives.

“Cooperative Solar is a great way to get all the benefits of solar panels for your home or business without the hassles of installing and maintaining the panels yourself,” said Joe Spalding, a member and director of Inter-County Energy Cooperative. Spalding also is the chairman of the board of directors for East Kentucky Power Cooperative, which will own and operate the solar farm on behalf of its 16 owner-member cooperatives.

For a one-time payment of $460 per panel, participating members will receive a 25-year license for a panel. That means they will get credit on their monthly power bill for the value of the energy generated by their share of the solar farm. And they can monitor panel performance online.

Construction of the solar farm is scheduled to be completed by November.

To learn more and to sign up to participate, visit www.CooperativeSolar.com.

Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives comprise 16 not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperatives that serve more than 1 million Kentucky residents across 87 Kentucky counties. They include:

• Big Sandy RECC, Paintsville, Ky.
• Blue Grass Energy, Nicholasville, Ky.
• Clark Energy Cooperative, Winchester, Ky.
• Cumberland Valley Electric, Gray, Ky.
• Farmers RECC, Glasgow, Ky.
• Fleming-Mason Energy, Flemingsburg, Ky.
• Grayson RECC, Grayson, Ky.
• Inter-County Energy Cooperative, Danville, Ky.
• Jackson Energy Cooperative, McKee, Ky.
• Licking Valley RECC, West Liberty, Ky.
• Nolin RECC, Elizabethtown, Ky.
• Owen Electric Cooperative, Owenton, Ky.
• Salt River Electric, Bardstown, Ky.
• Shelby Energy Cooperative, Shelbyville, Ky.
• South Kentucky RECC, Somerset Ky.
• Taylor County RECC, Campbellsville, Ky.