CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (AP) — Ohio is ready to unveil a large solar panel project at a prison aimed at saving
$245,000 in annual energy costs while training inmates to install and maintain the panels as a route to
future jobs.
The 400 panels at Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe will be the primary source for hot water
and space heating in eight cell blocks.
The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction plans tours Wednesday at the prison, 50 miles south of
Columbus.
The company providing the panels is Indianapolis-based Solar America Solutions. It says the project is
the largest non-utility solar installation in North America. It already has offered one inmate an
installation job upon his release.
Jails in Tennessee and Utah and prisons in Indiana and Wisconsin are among other correctional facilities
with significant solar panel projects.