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    Illinois Governor, Reactive, and ComEd Announce 100th Community Solar Project in Chicago Heights for Low-to-Moderate-Income Customers

    Dec. 11, 2023
    The total portfolio of six community solar projects will generate a total of 10.5 MW of clean energy and assist with the energy requirements of approximately 3,000 homes
    Image Source: Department of Energy
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    Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, along with Reactivate and ComEd in Chicago Heights, has announced the 100th community solar project, Verduin, in northern Illinois to serve low-to-moderate-income ComEd customers in a Cook County environmental justice community. 

    The solar farm is expected to be operational by the end of December 2023.

    The community solar project includes approximately 5,200 solar panels and occupies nearly 20 acres on Cottage Grove Avenue to serve approximately 660 customers. 

    Reactivate has five more community solar projects under construction in Chicago Heights, Ford Heights, Monee, Granite City, and Rockford in northern Illinois. 

    The six projects will generate a total of 10.5 MW of clean energy and assist with the energy requirements of approximately 3,000 homes, the majority of which are low-to-moderate-income households.

    “These projects will enable ComEd customers, particularly low-to-moderate-income customers, to save money on their electric bills while supporting the expansion of renewable energy and Illinois’ ambitious clean energy goals,” said Gil Quiniones, ComEd CEO. 

    Community solar customers are allowed to subscribe up to 200% of their last 12 months of electricity usage in Illinois. 

    “Our projects implement many of the goals of Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) with the inclusion of prevailing wages, minority and women-owned business contracting, workforce training and job opportunities, and direct bill savings to hard-working Illinois families,” said Utopia Hill, Reactivate CEO. 

    Illinois’ CEJA increases support for renewable energy to reach 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2040 of statewide electricity deliveries. 

    It not only creates nearly 9,800 MW of new solar capacity but also increases funding for the Illinois Solar for All program, which gives lower-income customers access to solar power, from $30 million to $70 million annually. 

    Currently, the 100 community solar projects in northern Illinois assist approximately 23,000 ComEd customers.

    ComEd’s multi-year grid and rate plans filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) support ComEd 2030, the company’s vision for a carbon-free energy future to benefit all communities and meet the changing needs of customers in the future.

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.