Solar power in Kentucky has been growing in recent years due to new technological improvements and a variety of regulatory actions and financial incentives, particularly a 30% federal tax credit, available through 2016, for any size project. Kentucky could generate 10% of all of the electricity used in the United States from land cleared from coal mining in the state. Covering just one-fifth with photovoltaics would supply all of the state's electricity.[1]
The Berea Solar Farm is a community solar farm, which opened with 60 235-watt solar panels (14.1 kW).[2] All of the available panels sold out in four days.[3]
A 2 MW single axis tracking solar farm began operation in 2011 in Bowling Green.[4][5] As of 2011, the largest system on any farm in the state was the 100.32 kW array completed on November 1, 2011, in Fancy Farms.[6] The first hospital in the state to use solar power is Rockcastle Regional Hospital in Mt. Vernon, which installed a 60.9 kW array on the roof in November, 2011.[7]
In 2015, Fort Campbell installed a 1.9MW solar farm that provides 10% of the electricity used by the base.[8]
Kentucky's only maker of solar panels is Alternative Energy Kentucky.[9]