Six projects in Bureau, Henry and Macoupin Counties will keep agricultural legacy alive through sheep grazing and soil restoration.
Photo: Construction underway at Brighton Station 1 Solar in Brighton, IL
Sheffield, IL — Encore Renewable Energy announced today that construction is underway at six solar arrays providing almost 30 megawatts (MW) of community solar in Illinois. These projects are the first of Encore’s pipeline of over 60MW of solar and energy storage in Illinois currently under development. The six arrays in the Brighton and Johnson Lake solar portfolios will support ratepayers through Illinois’s community solar program when construction finishes later this year.
“Construction on the Brighton and Johnson Lake solar portfolios marks a critical milestone in Encore’s strategic expansion into the Midwest energy markets,” said Blake Sturcke, CEO of Encore Renewable Energy. “By leveraging Illinois’ supportive legislative and regulatory frameworks, we are converting a robust development pipeline into high-performing clean energy assets which directly benefit the communities in which they operate. These projects demonstrate our ability to deploy capital efficiently while delivering predictable, long-term value to both our investors and the local communities we serve.”
Illinois’ robust community solar program has made it a national leader and allows interested households to “subscribe” to a portion of the power from projects like those in the Brighton and Johnson Lake portfolios. In exchange, households receive a discount on their monthly electricity bills. Illinois has further cemented its leadership in addressing the electricity affordability crisis following the recent passage of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, which increased the maximum size for community solar projects from 5MW to 10MW along with other energy reliability and affordability measures.
The portfolio was initially developed by one of Encore’s development partners, GreenKey Solar, and will be owned and operated by Encore.
“We’re excited to see years of development work come together as Encore breaks ground on the Brighton and Johnson Lake community solar projects,” said Hunter Strader, President of GreenKey Solar. “We place a strong emphasis on honoring our landowner relationships by providing long-term passive income and taking land stewardship seriously. We’re intentional about working with reliable, long-term asset owners who share those values and who we trust to do the right thing over the life of a project, which is one of the many reasons we have such high confidence in Encore. This milestone marks not only the start of construction, but the beginning of many years of generating clean energy from the sun for the benefit of landowners, communities, and the grid.”
The sites have been carefully planned to maximize benefit not only to landowners and subscribers but also to the local agricultural community; Encore has worked with the landowners and local soil conservation groups to ensure all parties’ long-term goals are accounted for. Each project has an accompanying Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement designed to preserve the integrity of the soil and thus long-term agricultural viability. The land will continue to support local agriculture even as the projects operate through an agrivoltaics partnership with Agrivoltaic Solutions, who will work with local grazers to manage sheep on site to control vegetation underneath the panels, improving soil quality in the process. All six projects once operational are located in the Ameren Illinois service area.
“Ameren Illinois is proud to support the growth of distributed energy resources across our service territory,” said Andy Parker, Director of the Clean Energy Transition for Ameren Illinois. “Operating a safe and reliable grid for our customers is our core responsibility, and we are committed to integrating clean, customer‑driven energy solutions to support the clean energy transition. By working collaboratively with DER developers and communities, we’re enhancing the electric grid, ensuring it can meet changing customer needs and deliver long‑term value for customers throughout downstate Illinois.”
The projects will be grazed for the entire life of the solar projects. Following their duration as solar arrays, the land will be ready once again for productive crop agriculture.
“Putting solar in is allowing me to retire from farming while keeping the land in the family,” said Duane Miller, a farmer and landowner of the Johnson Lakes projects. “And I couldn’t ask for a better partner for these projects. Every step of the way, Encore and their partners, GreenKey Solar, have respected me and my land. ”
The team at Encore Renewable Energy® is proud to be certified as a B Corp, joining over 3,500 other businesses worldwide who also share a commitment to social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.