By Kelly Pickerel | April 26, 2019 Results of the highly anticipated Illinois Power Agency Adjustable Block Program Lottery have been announced, and Nexamp was awarded six community solar projects that total 12 MW of generating capacity across the state. Within each of the six projects, Nexamp has committed to make more than 50% of the capacity available to individual residential customers, furthering its mission of making energy clean, simple and accessible to everyone. Construction is set to begin soon and completion is estimated before the end of this year. Illinois residents can visit Illinois.nexamp.com/signup to be notified when the subscription period opens. “This process is an important first step in meeting the demand for affordable clean energy across Illinois,” noted Zaid Ashai, CEO of Nexamp. “We are looking forward to working with these communities to make solar available to everyone, even those who can’t or don’t want to install panels on their homes. Community solar makes it possible for everyone to benefit from cost savings as well as the environmental benefits of renewable energy. And our landowner partners gain a new source of recurring revenue that makes it possible for them to preserve their land for future generations.” Two of the projects will be located in Burlington, while the others will be in Olney, Edwardsville, Prophetstown and Somonauk. Nexamp worked carefully to identify sites that would meet all the development requirements while maximizing the space and location of each. Residents across the ComEd and Ameren utility service territories are eligible to lower their monthly electric expenses and support the growth of clean energy while landowners receive guaranteed income from Nexamp through long-term leases. “Our family has owned large parcels of land in and around this community for a long time,” said Sharon Evans, an Edwardsville landowner. “It’s important to us that we maintain the agricultural use of the land, so the opportunity to lease a small, unused 12-acre section of this 91-acre parcel to Nexamp provides us with a steady stream of income over the next couple of decades that will make it easier to continue our family legacy of local farming. And we are confident that the solar farm will be a great complement to traditional farming activities.” Tom Castagnoli of Somonauk is leasing a portion of his 50-acre family farm to Nexamp so he can preserve the land for future retirement and eventually pass it on to his children. “The revenue per acre from crops has been declining over the past few years, so it was looking harder and harder to keep the land,” he said. “After hearing about the income opportunities from community solar, I started my research. I spoke to several companies but felt a real connection when I met with the people from Nexamp. This solution enables me to generate the income I need while ensuring that the land will be there for me, in its same natural state, when I want it. And in the meantime, the project should pretty much generate enough power to offset the usage of the entire Somonauk community.” Members of the Nexamp team have been working on-site in Illinois, collaborating closely with communities, local boards and landowners to ensure a smooth launch of community solar access across the state. News item from Nexamp
Nexamp is to build six community solar projects totalling 12 MW in Illinois, with half the capacity made available to individual homes. The schemes, two in in Burlington and one each in Olney, Edwardsville, Prophetstown and Somonauk, were awarded as part of the state’s Power Agency Adjustable Block Program Lottery. Nexamp said the news was the first step to satisfy demand for affordable clean energy in Illinois. Construction is expected to start later in 2019.