One of the first community solar projects in Illinois is now operating in Farmington, just west of Peoria. In June, Summit Ridge Energy (SRE) announced the completion of its “Fulton” solar project, a 2.7-megawatt, 15-acre solar farm in Fulton County. Comprised of nearly 7,000 solar panels, it is the largest community solar project built in Illinois to date. 

“SRE is proud to energize our Fulton project, especially given the challenges our team and the industry as a whole have faced over the last few months,” says CEO Steve Raeder. “Fulton represents the first to come online out of 36 community solar projects we’re building across the state, which in total will provide cost-savings to more than 15,000 Illinois households over the next 25 years.”

“Community solar is a great opportunity for people to save money that can’t directly install their own systems,” adds Illinois Sen. Dave Koehler. “This project will lower the electric bills of roughly 400 Illinois working families while decarbonizing emissions, cutting air pollution and creating new jobs and revenue.”

When fully constructed, SRE’s Illinois community solar fleet is expected to generate 150 gigawatt-hours per year of energy, representing approximately $750,000 in annual utility savings for customers. PM