What is happening in Tippecanoe County?
A 1,790-acre, industrial-scale solar installation is proposed in rural West Lafayette, Indiana, stretching south of Montmorenci almost to the Wabash River. The installation would be about 10 times the size of the one at the Indianapolis Airport.
Montmorenci
Martell Forest
Division Rd
This plan calls for almost 275,000 individual solar panels, mounted 12 feet high, covering fields for almost three square miles.
There is also an additional transfer/substation planned to be built in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
Over 50 Inverters will create noise 24/7.
Many solar projects eventually include battery storage facilities, which pose significant dangers
There will be millions of pounds of panels and inverters that will have to be recycled or landfilled in 40 years.
What's the problem?
The problem is location and scale: this very massive industrial-scale project does not belong in productive agricultural fields surrounded by residential homes.
It will destroy prime farmland in exchange for production of electricity that will be used elsewhere and could also be produced in other, sunnier, less agricultural places.
There’s also economic loss for farm-related businesses, reduced property values, soil erosion, drainage, and groundwater issues, harm to wildlife, and visual aesthetics.
Moratorium On Utility-Scale Solar
The Tippecanoe County Commissioners implemented a moratorium on utility-scale solar projects in June 2025 to more closely study appropriate and smart regulations.
A moratorium will allow reconsideration of local ordinances to make appropriate guardrails and revisions that protect the county, that protect residents, that protect the environment, and also protect the existing property owners who are cooperating with this project.
Tippecanoe County has changed zoning codes in the past when dealing with green energy. In 2019, commissioners voted to effectively ban large-scale wind turbines in unincorporated parts of the county. The county also currently has a temporary moratorium on large water transfers from the county’s aquifers.
Some Indiana counties have allowed the construction of utility-scale installations. However, many counties currently have moratoriums or bans on such installations.
We're Fighting to Protect What Matters:
Our Farmers
Our Homes & Community
Our Growth
The farmland in this county feeds over 58,000 people
every year. It supports 800 local
residents who make their living from the soil. This project destroys
farmland forever — not for food, but for federal subsidies.
Families will be surrounded on 2, 3,
or 4 sides by solar panels and
fences — for life — with no benefit
and declining property values.
Property taxes won’t go down, but
quality of life will.
This project chokes off the county’s
ability to grow responsibly. Fields
that could support housing, schools,
or businesses will be locked down
for 40 years.
Our Water & Wetlands
Our Infastructure
Stormwater runoff, pesticide use, and erosion from massive solar fields threaten clean water, wetlands, and the fragile ecosystems that sustain
migratory birds and local wildlife.
County roads, culverts, and
underground drainage systems will bear the brunt of industrial-scale construction. We’ll pay the price — in tax dollars and damage.