The proposal calls for nearly 580,000 solar panels on what is mostly farmland near the Sullivan County community of Fairbanks, some 20 miles south of Terre Haute.

Vectren turned to the market to find the best sources for its long-term energy plan and mostly received bids for solar and wind projects.

Purdue researchers are investigating the viability of solar power production on farmland, hoping their work in "aglectric" engineering will balance food and energy production.

Other schools in the state, such as the University of Notre Dame and Indiana University, have their own solar projects already underway.

Brooklyn, New York-based Ranger Power to build the solar project in Shelby County starting in 2022.

Though the numbers for last year are still rolling in, Indiana is projected to have installed more than 140 megawatts - mostly as a result of large, utility-scale projects.

The Tipton Community School Corp.'s nearly 2,000 solar panels went online last month at the district's campus.

Last year, the U.S. International Trade Commission recommended the tariffs after concluding that cheap foreign panels had hurt the domestic market.

Last week, the IRS said that if solar developers invest 5 percent of the total cost of the project by the end of 2019 and finish it by 2023, they can get a 30 percent tax credit.

The city of Richmond is considering paying solar customers with excess power the lower wholesale rate plus 25 percent, rather than the higher retail rate.