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Crane Solar Facility

Solar power plant in Indiana, United States of America. Approximate location 38.8164, -86.8842.

SolarIndianaUnited States of America

Crane Solar Facility is a 17 MW solar power plant in Indiana, United States of America. It is operated by Duke Energy Indiana LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 28 GWh, it can supply roughly 7.9k homes. It ranks #5054 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2017, it is around 9 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 8.6% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

17Source-backed capacity
28GWh reported / yr
7,914homes powered
2017commissioned (~9 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0060435.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCrane Solar Facility WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Indiana WRI
Coordinates38.8164, -86.8842 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity17 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDuke Energy Indiana LLC WRI
Commissioned2017 WRI
GWh reported / yr28 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5054 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#450 of 3283 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.67× · 3 MW median · 3283 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent7,914 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.1°C · HDD 2,656 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000812628); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 17 MW, Crane Solar Facility is well above the median solar plant in United States of America (3 MW). Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2017: 20 GWh20172018: 28 GWh20182019: 28 GWh201928 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Duke Energy Indiana LLC. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.1°Cannual mean temp
2,656heating degree-days (base 18°C)
525cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
186 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 13 °CON: 7 °CND: 1 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 8% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 53/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
26.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
327 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #450 largest solar power plant of 3283 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 3283 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 38,093 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 38.8164, -86.8842 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Crane Solar Facility?

Crane Solar Facility is a 17 MW source-record solar power plant in Indiana, United States of America, commissioned in 2017.

How much electricity does Crane Solar Facility generate?

Crane Solar Facility generates about 28 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Crane Solar Facility power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 7,914 homes.

Who operates Crane Solar Facility?

Crane Solar Facility is operated by Duke Energy Indiana LLC.

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