CRANE, Ind. (AP): A 145-acre solar farm that will turn the sun’s rays into enough electricity to power several thousand homes has been dedicated at southern Indiana’s Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center.

The (Bloomington) Herald-Times reports Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch joined Crane officials and others for Thursday’s dedication at the land-locked naval installation that’s one of the region’s biggest employers.

The solar farm located about 30 miles southwest of Bloomington is a joint project between Duke Energy and the U.S. Department of the Navy. Its roughly 76,000 solar panels will generate 17 megawatts of power for use at the naval center and surrounding communities.

Duke Energy Indiana’s president, Melody Birmingham-Byrd, says the level of power available from the solar project would be enough to satisfy the energy needs of 7,000 average-sized homes.