Yorkville is seeking to harness the power of community solar power, reducing city electricity bills by 10%.

While the program is not currently being offered to city residents, the program’s success could shine a light on what’s to come.

The city is currently projecting they can save between $30,000 and $40,000 annually in city electrical bills by partnering with an Illinois Power Authority licensed community solar developer.

City administrator Bart Olson said by entering into a community solar subscription agreement, the city will receive a guaranteed discounted rate for electricity.

“When a community solar farm is open and available, not just in Yorkville, but anywhere within the ComEd service territory, we will now be able to enroll our city accounts in that solar farm and receive a 10% reduction in electrical supply rates,” Olson said during the Oct. 14 city council meeting.

Olson said that 10% discount is a constant, pegged to whatever ComEd’s rates happen to be. The city is not enrolling any residents in the program at the moment.

The individual private solar farms popping-up around Yorkville are not affected by this.

In fact, finding a community solar farm to buy into is easier said than done because several towns pounce on the open spots. Currently participating towns include Elgin, Schaumburg, Lombard and Oak Park.

Community solar programs were established in Illinois following the passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act in 2016. In 2021, funding was expanded under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, according to city documents.

Yorkville, like many other towns, pursue such agreements because in addition to the cost savings, it “advances municipal sustainability objectives and supports broader clean energy initiatives,” according to city documents.

Yorkville has been working with Progressive Energy Group, an independent energy consulting firm, to help Yorkville secure its spot in a subscription community solar program. The firm is eyeing six active community solar developers and the city should join one of them within the next couple months.

It’s important to note that electricity generated from the community solar farm does not get sent directly to Yorkville. Instead, the energy is delivered to the electrical grid at-large and subscribers receive energy credits on their utility bills corresponding to their share of the solar output.

Yorkville’s share translates to a guaranteed minimum rate of 10% savings on the city’s overall electricity consumption costs.