Solar panels at the Indianapolis Airport collect enough energy per year to power 1,800 homes, but for the last three days they haven't collected anything.
The 44,000 panels are covered with a foot of snow.
Kurt Schneider from Johnson Melloh Solutions, one of the companies partnered on the solar farm project, says it takes only a thimble-sized hole in the snow for the panel to warm up enough to melt away the rest, however maintenance employees haven't been sent out to do the work.
"There's about $8,219 dollars a day," he says. "That's how much money you would have if you divide it by 365 days, but in the winter time for 4 to 5 months, the expectation only produces one third of the piece where as the other 6 or 7 months produces the other two-thirdsm so you're looking at $4m500 a day."
The Indy Solar Farm is expected to generate $3 million annually. It's lost $12,000 over the last 3 days but Schneider isn't concerned. He says sunny summer days that exceed expected energy generation should make up for the loss.
He says there will probably be a maintenance employee working on the panels Thursday. If there isn't, that'll be another $4,500 lost.