Solar Panels on Storage Units: Illinois Is Going All In on This No-Brainer
This story was originally published by Canary Media and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Krzysztof Wasowicz, mayor of Justice, Illinois, has some concerns about solar: that it takes up farmland and enriches China. But he’s all-in on the community solar array that was recently deployed at a Public Storage facility in his village, a suburb of Chicago. […]
In Justice, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, a new solar array has been installed on the roof of a Public Storage facility. The 763-kilowatt system, which went live in March, is part of a larger plan to deploy solar capacity across 60 rooftops in the state, covering 5 million square feet of roof space in total. When completed, the portfolio will generate 44 megawatts of solar power, provide $36 million in savings, and create 300 construction jobs.
Mayor Krzysztof Wasowicz of Justice, who has been in office since 2007, supports the community solar project, citing the potential for job creation, revenue taxation for the state, and increased opportunities for residents. The 763-kilowatt array is one of 10 operational projects, with the remaining 50 planned for completion in the near future.
According to Solar Landscape, the developer behind the initiative, industrial and commercial roof space is often underutilized for solar projects due to higher construction and interconnection costs compared to rural areas. However, new incentives have prompted developers, utilities, and building owners to explore the possibilities. Federal data suggests that commercial, industrial, and school rooftops could host enough panels to meet the entire nation's energy demand.
In Illinois, community solar has gained significant traction, with the state leading the nation in installed capacity. The state's 2016 clean energy law introduced generous incentives for community solar projects, leading to a boom in projects up to 2 MW each. A subsequent energy law in the previous year extended these incentives to projects up to 10 MW.
While most community solar projects have been built on rural lands or industrial brownfields, rooftop installations are becoming increasingly popular, particularly in the Chicago area.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
