Farmers in Ohio are giving up their crops to cash in on a new use for their land.

Property owners near transmission lines across the state are fielding offers from renewable energy companies to lease their land.

The largest solar panel farm is tucked away in a rural community just outside of Cincinnati, in Mount Orab, where almost 660,000 solar panels cover what was once farmland.

"We have five sections over the 1,500 acres," Bill Behling said, director of development for Innergex Renewable Energy.

Innergex is one of several companies offering long term 30 to 35 year leases.

"They're making the decision verses continuing to farm, how much they make on the farm and many of them are looking at this as an opportunity to keep the farm in the family," Behling said.

Its Hillcrest Solar Farm started construction in 2019 and was completed in July. It generates 200 megawatts, enough to power 39,000 homes in the local area.

About 15 to 20 more projects just like it are in the works near the Mount Orab area.

A similar project is in the works in Columbiana County.

Behling says the technology has advanced over the past decade, making solar about 90-percent cheaper than it is today. Solar panel investments have been made even as far north as Northeast Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

"It's more than a fad, it's a long term trend," Dale Arnold, the director of energy and utilities with the Ohio Farm Bureau.

In fact, the Ohio Power Siting Board has almost 50 large utility scale solar projects under consideration.

Arnold estimates about half of the available tie in's to the transmission lines are either spoken for or are under consideration when it comes to solar projects.

He estimates Ohio has another 10 years of new development in the solar energy sector.

Senate Bill 52 in Ohio could provide hurdles for any new projects moving forward. The bill gives county commissioners or governments the authority to set up solar panel development zones or to prohibit solar and wind turbine projects all together.

"Even when Senate Bill 52 was being evaluated, there are a number of projects well involved in the process that are exempt from SB 52 provisions," Arnold said.

From smaller set ups to sprawling solar farms, energy companies are betting on Ohio to be the next hub for solar energy.