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.