Hello Solar Enthusiasts!
As an advocate for the environment and solar energy, I often get excited when I learn about new advancements made on the solar front. Especially when it comes to community solar, which is a remarkable way of utilizing solar power. Today, I want to talk about one such significant progress made recently in the field of solar energy.
Standard Solar, a frontrunner among solar companies, has recently taken the plunge to acquire an impressive 84 MW community solar portfolio from renewable energy developer, New Leaf Energy. This consist of a variety of ground-mounted community solar facilities scattered across the state of Illinois. The portfolio comprises of different site sets with differing capacity. Some sites have a capacity of 47 MW, others 12 MW while four of them exhibit an impressive 25 MW capacity.
The best part? Construction for the 14 new projects included in the portfolio is set to begin this year. Some of them are proposed to be completed on or before December this year or throughout 2025. This is not the first time Standard Solar and New Leaf Energy have collaborated. The two solar companies have previously worked together on 20 incredible community solar projects across three states.
Now, you might be thinking, “What’s in it for Illinois?” Well, the acquisition of this 84 MW portfolio by Standard Solar is expected to make a considerable contribution to Illinois’ renewable energy objectives. One of these goals includes transitioning to 100% renewable electricity generation by the year 2050.
The Illinois Power Agency (IPA) has launched an incredible scheme, known as the Illinois Shines program, to assist the state in achieving its clean energy targets. The program provides financial incentives for different types of community solar projects like small distributed generation, large distributed generation, and traditional community solar, to name just a few. Building a solar array for home or working with your community on a larger solar project could help to reduce your energy bill and also advance the state towards its ambitious 100% renewable target.
I hope that this news inspires you to think about how solar could benefit you, whether that’s installing solar panels for your home, or maybe even working towards a bigger project, like creating a solar array for home use in your community. As a long-time solar enthusiast, I definitely recommend exploring how adopting solar energy can not only reduce your carbon footprint but can also save you a lot of money in the long run.
Stay tuned for more fascinating advances in the world of solar! Remember, the future is not just bright – it’s solar-powered!
Original Articlehttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/02/16/standard-solar-acquires-84-mw-community-solar-portfolio-in-illinois/
