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Illinois residents can now support clean energy and enjoy electric bill savings

February 16, 2021. Four new community solar farms provide ComEd customers with energy savings — no rooftop installation required.

 

CHICAGO, IL — Illinois residents and businesses within Commonwealth Edison’s service territory can now access affordable clean energy from four ew community solar farms. Located in Whiteside County, these solar farms offer ComEd customers the opportunity to support clean energy and save substantially on their annual electricity costs.ComEd customers who enroll may save up to an estimated 20% on the supply portion of their monthly electric bill and receive a $100 enrollment bonus. The total capacity for these solar farms is 11.2 megawatts, enough electricity annually to power about 1,600 homes and small businesses.

Residents who enroll in community solar are allocated a portion of a solar farm based on their annual electricity usage. They receive credits for the electricity their solar panels produce on their utility bills, potentially offering helpful financial relief. Through a subscription-based model, community solar makes clean energy accessible to renters, apartment-dwellers and those who are unable to put solar panels on their roofs.

ENGIE North America, a global leader accelerating the transition toward a carbon neutral economy, is responsible for the development and construction of these solar farms. Solstice, a Boston-based community solar provider, supports ENGIE on these projects through customer acquisition, enrollment and management.

“We are pleased to develop community solar projects that empower Illinois residents to take part in the clean energy transition,” says Luis Felipe Birolini, Head of Distributed Renewables for ENGIE North America. “The projects demonstrate ENGIE North America’s belief that good business must also be good for the environment and communities.  In conjunction with Solstice, our solar projects enable more Americans to save money while supporting the installation of clean, local energy – produced right here in Northern Illinois.”

“We are thrilled to be working with ENGIE North America to get Illinois residents access to affordable clean energy,” says Solstice Co-Founder and CEO Steph Speirs. “Most American households think of solar as outside their means, so our goal is to make solar so simple that anyone can do it. Many Americans could use financial relief right now, and we hope to help alleviate some of that economic burden by offering guaranteed energy savings for all ComEd customers.”

Located in Whiteside County, IL, these projects are built on land that has been supplemented with native prairie pollinator habitats. In addition to helping bees and local agriculture, these solar projects help create jobs with approximately 80 full-time workers involved in the development and construction of the solar farms. The projects also provide long-term economic support through operations and local taxes over their operating life.

ENGIE is an Approved Vendor and Solstice is an Approved Designee of the Illinois Shines Program, also known as the Adjustable Block Program or “ABP.” Illinois Shines is a state-administered program implemented by the Illinois Power Agency to promote new solar development and solar PV systems. These community solar farms produce local solar power, and Renewable Energy Credits, or “RECs”, which are sold to the Illinois Shines program to help Illinois reach its renewable energy goals.

About ENGIE North America

ENGIE North America Inc. offers a range of capabilities in the United States and Canada to help customers decarbonize, decentralize and digitalize their operations. These include comprehensive services to help customers run their facilities more efficiently and optimize energy and other resource use and expense; clean power generation; energy storage; and retail energy supply that includes renewable, demand response, and on-bill financing options. Nearly 100% of the company’s power generation portfolio is low carbon or renewable. Globally, ENGIE S.A. relies on their key businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to offer competitive solutions to customers. With 170,000 employees, customers, partners and stakeholders, we are a community of Imaginative Builders, committed every day to more harmonious progress. For more information on ENGIE North America, please visit our LinkedIn page or Twitter feed, www.engie-na.com and www.engie.com.

About Solstice

Solstice is a mission-driven organization dedicated to bringing affordable solar power to the 80% of Americans who cannot install a rooftop system. Solstice conducts comprehensive marketing campaigns to educate communities about community solar projects in their area, partnering with trusted local organizations to distribute community solar to their membership, conducting outreach efforts and managing the customer experience. For more information on Solstice, please visit our LinkedIn page, Twitter feed or www.solstice.us. 

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Customers and Community Join ENGIE to Break Ground on the Long Draw Solar Project in Texas

November 6, 2019 – Houston, TX – ENGIE North America today hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking with county officials and customers for the 225 MW Long Draw Solar Project. ENGIE will serve four Texas municipalities – New Braunfels, Denton, Garland, and Kerrville – and their electric utilities – via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the project’s full capacity.

 

Slated to come online in the summer of 2020, the Long Draw Solar Project – the largest solar project to date in ENGIE’s solar portfolio – will be located in Borden County, Texas. The project will house more than 800,000 solar panels, employ some 150 people during peak construction, and generate total estimated tax payments to Borden County and the Borden County Independent School District of more than $10 million over the life of project.

The PPA stemmed from an original request for solar energy proposals issued by New Braunfels Utilities (NBU), who in turn partnered with Denton Municipal Electric (DME), Garland Power & Light (GP&L), and Kerrville Public Utility Board (KPUB) for the purchase of solar energy from ENGIE and Long Draw in order to diversify their power supplies and to keep retail electricity rates low.

Under the power purchase agreement, which has a term of 15 years, NBU has contracted for 100 megawatts of solar energy from the Long Draw project. Denton will purchase 75 MW of capacity, Garland will purchase 25 MW of capacity, and Kerrville will purchase 25 MW of capacity.

“We’re so glad to join with leaders here in Borden County and with our customers to support them in creating new opportunities to diversify their renewable energy sources on a meaningful scale,” said Luis Felipe Birolini, head of solar development at ENGIE North America. “We look forward to completing the project in the summer of 2020, and to providing zero carbon, affordable energy for years to come.”

“New Braunfels Utilities is pleased to be a part of ENGIE’s Long Draw Solar Project, and today’s groundbreaking ceremony. Today culminates many months of hard work and dedication to further enable NBU to be good stewards of our environment – and to deliver affordable and reliable energy to our customers. This project is a great example of municipal entities working together for the best of their customers and embodies NBU’s mission in action, to provide innovative, essential services. We look forward to this project coming online next year,” said New Braunfels Utilities CEO, Ian Taylor.

“Garland Power & Light looks forward to adding solar from the Long Draw Project to our power portfolio,” said GP&L General Manager and CEO Jeff Janke. “This affordable resource will support GP&L’s competitive rate strategy.”

“KPUB is excited to see this project move forward, said Mike Wittler, general manager & CEO of Kerrville Public Utility Board. “It will help us ensure that our customers have competitive, stable rates for years to come.”

The Long Draw project, originally developed by BNB Renewables, from whom ENGIE acquired the project in March 2018, strengthens ENGIE’s strategy to lead the zero-carbon transition for companies and local authorities. It contributes to ENGIE’s rapid expansion in renewables, with an ambition to build approximately 9,000 MW of new renewable energy projects from 2019-2021 globally, including 2,500 MW of new renewable capacity in North America. The company has an additional 10,000 MW of wind and solar projects in its broader development pipeline in the U.S. and Canada.

About ENGIE North America
ENGIE North America Inc. offers a range of capabilities in the United States and Canada to help customers decarbonize, decentralize, and digitalize their operations. These include comprehensive services to help customers run their facilities more efficiently and optimize energy and other resource use and expense; clean power generation; energy storage; and retail energy supply that includes renewable, demand response, and on-bill financing options. Nearly 100% of the company’s power generation portfolio is low carbon or renewable. Globally, ENGIE is the largest independent power producer and a leading energy efficiency services provider in the world, employing 160,000 people. For more information on ENGIE North America, please visit our Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook pages or www.engie-na.com.

About New Braunfels Utilities:
Dedicated to excellence in service, New Braunfels Utilities is one of 2,000 community-owned, not-for profit public power electric utilities in the nation. The mission of New Braunfels Utilities is to enhance the quality of our community by providing innovative, essential services. Governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of local residents appointed by the New Braunfels City Council, New Braunfels Utilities is committed to being a recognized and trusted community partner, providing electric, water, and waste water services. Utility revenues are continually invested back into the systems of the customers, which benefits the community. New Braunfels Utilities makes an annual transfer to the City of New Braunfels, which in turn helps to pay for services such as fire, police, and parks. Follow NBU on Facebook at newbraunfelsutilities, on Twitter at nbutility, and to learn more visit nbutexas.com.

About GP&L:
The City of Garland has been providing electric service to its citizens through Garland Power & Light (GP&L) since 1923. With nearly 71,000 customers, GP&L is the fourth largest municipal utility in Texas and the 43rd largest in the nation.

About Denton Municipal Electric:
The City of Denton’s Denton Municipal Electric (DME) department was established in 1905 and provides service to over 53,000 customers. In 2018, the Denton City Council adopted the Denton Renewable Resource Plan, which sets the goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy supply by 2020 and makes the City of Denton a national leader in renewable energy adoption. To learn more about DME, visit www.dmepower.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Kerrville Public Utility Board:
The Kerrville Public Utility Board (KPUB) was acquired by the City of Kerrville in 1987 and serves approximately 22,750 customers throughout its 146 square mile service area, including Kerrville, Center Point, Ingram, Hunt and surrounding areas in Kerr County. As a community-owned, not-for-profit electric company, our utility is operated with local control. KPUB is overseen by a five-member board of trustees who serve without compensation and who are responsible to the City of Kerrville for the management and control of the system. KPUB’s mission is to be a responsive and efficient, locally-owned provider of reliable, high-quality utility service at the lowest responsible price. For more information on KPUB, please follow our Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook pages, or visit our website at kpub.com.

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