Stories about solar energy
The Sterling City Council on Monday approved a pre-annexation agreement for land owned by Bill Hermes of TN Hermes at McCue and West LeFevre roads, where Nexamp Solar LLC wants to build the LeFevre Road Solar Project.
Officials hoping to build a 4.2-megawatt commercial solar energy system in Mayfield Township believe the project won’t hurt nearby property values, according to an application submitted by plan developers.
Sterling’s planning commission is recommending the City Council reject the proposal for a new solar farm on a 45-acre site at the corner of West Le Fevre Road and McCue Road.
A request from a renewable energy company to set up a 5-megawatt commercial solar energy system west of Somonauk Road in Squaw Grove Township has been approved by the DeKalb County Board.
The Dixon Park District announced plans Friday, June 21, 2024, to build a solar farm on 24 of 600 acres of land near The Facility. The district is partnering with Trajectory Solar on the project. The Facility is located at 1312 Washington Ave.
Shenandoah Solar, a limited liability company owned by Ironwood Projects LLC, has sought permission from DeKalb County to build a 5-megawatt commercial solar energy systems on the west side of Somonauk Road in Squaw Grove Township
On May 23, Lee County Board members voted 12-4 to grant a special use permit to Woosung Solar LLC to build a 5-megawatt commercial solar energy facility on the southeast corner of Pilgrim Road and state Route 26 in Palmyra Township.
The community solar farm, known as Corneils Road Solar, LLC, will be constructed north of Corneils Road between Beecher Road and Route 47 in Yorkville.
Barely a month after witnessing the solar eclipse, sky watchers stood awestruck at another cosmic show early Saturday.
An unusually strong solar storm hitting Earth produced stunning displays of color in the skies across the Northern Hemisphere, with no immediate reports of disruptions to power and communications
A 5-megawatt commercial solar energy facility in Palmyra Township got the special use permit developers need to move forward with the project when the Lee County Board voted 17-1-1 to grant it.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act paved the way for companies like G&W Electric in Bolingbrook to invest in solar power projects.
The Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to make a recommendation Wednesday evening regarding a proposed 5-megawatt commercial solar facility in Palmyra Township.
An eclipse on the scale of Monday's event won't happen again until Aug. 12, 2045.
Joliet Junior College, Will County forest preserves among places hosting events for April 8 solar eclipse.
National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard says the northeast U.S. currently has the best chance of clear skies, along with parts of Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois.
The Sterling City Council agreed Monday not to object to a request for a special-use permit for a 5-megawatt solar farm just west of city limits, at Freeport and Science Ridge roads.
Lee County Board members voted 11-3-3 to issue the special use permit to Hexagon Energy LLC, a Virginia-based company doing business in Illinois as Steward Creek Solar LLC, for Phase 2 of a 1,200-megawatt commercial solar energy facility in Alto and Willow Creek townships.
Over the objections of the city of Sterling, the Whiteside County Board approved issuing a special-use permit to build a 5-megawatt solar farm at Locust Street/state Route 40 and Science Ridge Road.
A Colorado-based energy company this week sought to make its case for gaining clearance from a DeKalb panel to install a 5-megawatt solar farm on 38 acres at the southwest corner of Illinois Route 38 and John Huber Parkway near the city’s northwest side.
A Colorado-based energy company has asked for city of DeKalb consideration to install a 5-megawatt solar farm on 38 acres at the southwest corner of Illinois Route 38 and John Huber Parkway in DeKalb, documents show.
Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals members unanimously voted to recommend the Lee County Board approve Hexagon Energy LLC’s petition to be allowed to build Phase 2 of Steward Creek, a 1,200-megawatt commercial solar energy facility.
Chicago-based solar company Nexamp is proposing the development of Corneils Road Solar, LLC, a community solar farm just north of Yorkville city limits.
The total upfront cost of solar panels for both schools is $1.8 million, which the district paid for with General Fund working cash. State and federal incentives and rebates will bring the actual cost down to about $252,000.
Solar panels being installed on the roofs of Polo Community High School and Centennial Elementary School are expected to offset at least 95% of the buildings’ electric bills, said Kelly Mandrell, Polo Community Unit School District superintendent.
Members of the public had a chance to weigh in on a Virginia-based company’s special use permit request to build Phase 2 of what would be one of the largest solar facilities in the country during a Feb. 28 public hearing before the Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals.
Lee County officials met with U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Illinois, on Tuesday to discuss issues impacting the area and potential support for federal resources in the community.
Hexagon Energy LLC, a Virginia-based company doing business in Illinois as Steward Creek Solar LLC, is seeking a special use permit from Lee County to build Phase 2 of a 1,200-megawatt commercial solar energy facility in Alto and Willow Creek townships.
The first of two public hearings before the Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals regarding what could be the largest solar facility in Illinois is set for 6 p.m. Feb. 20.
Developers for what could be the largest solar facility in Illinois are set to come before the Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals in February regarding the project’s second phase.
A company seeking to build two of 2-megawatt Solar Gardens in Shabbona Township recently got the projects approved by the DeKalb County Board, but not everyone was onboard.
The Grundy County Board took the advice of the Land Use committee on Tuesday night when it approved an extension for the Greenbacker Renewable Energy solar farm project located south of Dupont Road between Buffalo and Verona.
On Monday, Princeton Mayor Ray Mabry signed a letter of support toward a potential Illinois Municipal Electric Agency solar project that would be located at the Princeton Transfer Station on Peggy Lane.
A 5-megawatt solar farm at Locust Street/state Route 40 and Science Ridge Road would not be compatible with Sterling's future industrial plans for that area, and so the City Council is submitting a letter of objection to the project.
A company with multiple community solar projects in Illinois and five other states is asking to build a 5-megawatt solar farm in a field at Locust Street/state Route 40 and Science Ridge Road, just outside Sterling’s northern city limit.
The DeKalb County Board on Wednesday is set to vote on Amp Solar Development’s proposal to put a five-megawatt solar garden on 31.2 acres of the 76.28-acre property at the northeast corner of Pratt and West Sandwich roads.
Letter to the Editor: DeKalb County Board should vote no on solar development on Pratt Road
The public is invited to weigh in Thursday on a proposal to build a solar garden in Squaw Grove Township in rural southern DeKalb County.
McHenry County grapples with difficulty of not being able to regulate any new solar farms because of new Illinois law.
The Lee County Board is expected to vote Thursday on a proposed solar farm surrounding the historic Col. Nathan Whitney House, located just south of Franklin Grove.
A proposed solar garden in rural DeKalb County split the DeKalb County Board recently amid concerns that the garden would sit on land meant to provide irrigation for multiple farmers in the southeastern part of the county.
The historic home at 1620 Whitney Road south of Franklin Grove has been part of the National Register of Historic Places since 1990.
Opinion: Community solar is a relatively new concept in the world of renewable energy, but it’s quickly gaining traction in DeKalb and northern Illinois. This innovative approach to solar power enables local communities to pool their resources.
According to the city officials tasked with voting on the proposal, location and politics played the key roles in the solar project's ultimate denial.
DeKalb County government officials are seeking additional guidance and inviting the public to weigh in on a new state law which requires counties to make uniform existing regulations on solar and wind farm developments.
The Speedway Solar Project began producing electricity at the start of February
Summit Renewable Energy is petitioning Lee County for special use permits to build Lahman Solar 1 and Lahman Solar 1a in Bradford Township east of Franklin Grove.
Ben Sych of New Leaf Energy is seeking DeKalb County Board approval to build two, 5-megawatt solar gardens in Clinton Township.
Pollinator-friendly grasses would be planted, and they expect a reduction in stormwater runoff and soil erosion.
In 2021, five states – California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Illinois – made up nearly half of all U.S. shipment destinations for solar panels, which reached a record high of 28.8 million peak kilowatts that year.