Delaware
Sussex County solar farm to power 750 homes, supporting Delaware's clean energy targets
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For years, the energy powering Sussex County came from far beyond its borders — sent in through a vast network of infrastructure stretching across Delaware. But a new 9,000-module solar array built just off Trap Pond Road in Georgetown, Delaware marks a significant shift in how the state generates, distributes and democratizes electricity.
“We have very little in the way of generation in Sussex County,” said Democratic state Sen. Stephanie Hansen, who represents parts of Newcastle County.
Hansen said energy distribution from the solar farm will be much more efficient than relying on electricity sent from distant power plants.
“Most of the energy that we use comes from outside of our states, and most of the energy that we actually generate in-state comes from way north of here,” Hansen said. “That has to be transported down here … and it comes at, oftentimes, when it’s really hot, when it’s really cold — congestion pricing, where there are losses of the energy that you get from just traveling that distance.”
Now, with the launch of a new project by community solar developers Nautilus Solar Energy and TurningPoint Energy, Sussex County residents who wouldn’t have had access to rooftop solar can benefit from carbon-free energy and discounted rates. The site, located on a 35.6-acre property, will generate 4.7 megawatts of power and is surrounded by a 25-foot-wide landscaped buffer. It’s the first of six planned community solar installations that TurningPoint expects to develop, which would generate 30 megawatts of power across the state.
Power from the project will start flowing in a couple of months, benefitting roughly 750 households and small businesses. Low-income households will receive a 20% discount on their electric bills, while others will benefit from a 10% cut.
“Delaware did a very good job in how they designed this program,” said Eric LaMora, vice president of community solar for Nautilus. “Every project, at least 15% of the energy goes to benefit low-income households.”
Lamora said the company’s two other projects in the area will direct 50% of the power to Delmarva Power’s low-income customers.
Delaware’s community solar initiative is part of a broader climate strategy. Under its Climate Action Plan, the state has committed to sourcing 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035 — including a dedicated goal of 10% from solar. It also aims to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The project’s financing benefited from federal solar tax credits, which expanded under the Biden administration to help jump-start the green energy economy and tackle climate change. The program permits community solar project developers to pass savings on to low-income customers.
“[The tax credits] allow us to leverage our capital to build more projects offering discounted electricity to a greater number of households and support the growing demand for electricity,” LaMora said.
Thomas Jefferson University is opening a regional campus of its Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Delaware, an effort that will result in the state’s first medical school.
Jefferson beat out three other bidders to establish the four-year program in partnership with the state. The other bidders were the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico, Spotlight Delaware reported.
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The inaugural class of 40 medical students will begin instruction in July 2028. Initially, the campus will be based at the University of Delaware in Newark, with Jefferson faculty providing instruction. A permanent home for the campus is still being finalized, the Inquirer reported.
The medical students will receive 18 months of preclinical training on campus before receiving clinical training from healthcare providers in Delaware’s southern counties, where the state’s physician shortage is most deeply felt. That shortage is compounded by an aging population, Delaware officials said.
“Jefferson is committed to being part of the solution to Delaware’s physician shortage,” Jefferson CEO Dr. Joseph Cacchione said in a statement. “We are proud to help build a future where every Delawarean has access to the care they deserve. Jefferson is all in.”
The school’s creation is being supported by $157.4 million from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Delaware is one of three states without a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. Since the late 1960s, Jefferson and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine have reserved seats for Delaware students.
“Sidney Kimmel Medical College has trained generations of physicians for more than 200 years, more than any other medical college in the country,” Said Ibrahim, dean of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, said in a statement. “It is a privilege to bring our mission to Delaware’s patients and communities.”
Jefferson has announced several expansions recently. The university is establishing a full-time doctor of nursing practice-nurse anesthesia program and several online graduate programs at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Center for Healthcare Education in Lehigh County. It also is opening a satellite respiratory therapy lab at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown.
Delaware officials said medical students will start their classroom instruction at UD and then do their clinical training at offices and health care systems in Kent and Sussex counties, where the shortage of doctors is most acute.
However, ChristianaCare, which has its own partnership with Jefferson, is not participating. The state’s largest health care system was part of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s unsuccessful bid to operate the school. In a joint statement from ChristianaCare and PCOM, the two organizations expressed disappointment with not being part of the consortium of higher education institutions and healthcare organizations.
“The path forward raises genuine questions about whether the school’s goals can be fully realized without ChristianaCare’s meaningful participation in its clinical training mission,” it said. “The success of any four-year medical program depends not just on an academic institution, but on a true and committed partnership with its clinical partners — one built on shared mission, mutual investment and trust developed over time.”
Students in the first class can get their tuition subsidized, covering all of their education costs, in exchange for an agreement to work in rural Delaware for five years.
Running the medical school is expected to cost Jefferson $78 million over the next five years. The money is from a federal rural health grant through the Rural Health Transformation Program, which congressional Republicans created in the so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”
The program will give $50 billion to every state over five years, though exactly the total each will eventually receive is unclear. Half of the money is to be distributed equally to states and the other half is awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services based on a variety of factors.
The state applied for $1 billion late last year to improve health care in Kent and Sussex counties. The Trump administration has so far allocated Delaware $157 million. Delaware is expected to receive at least $500 million over the life of the fund.
Delaware Ohio Housing Growth
A look at the rapid expansion of housing developments in Delaware, Ohio.
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Every few weeks Delaware city approves a new housing development. The city has more than 4,000 housing units in its development pipeline, contributing to the rapid growth in one of the fastest-growing counties in Ohio.
A crash shut down U.S. 42 in Delaware County in both directions June 2.
As of 7 a.m., U.S. 42 was closed from U.S. 23 to Jegs Place near the Delaware Municipal Airport.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured in the crash or when the roadway would open.
This is a developing story and will be updated
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
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