Peoria County, Illinois, recently celebrated the opening of its newest clean energy project, Jubilee Solar – the state’s first community solar project built on the grounds of a public school. The 3 MW solar project is located on the campus of Brimfield Community Unit School District (CUSD) #309 and comes online following the passage of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act, which will help build more projects like this and benefit communities across the state.
“We were pleased to see this project come to fruition, especially after learning of the savings it will bring to the school,” said Chad Jones, Superintendent of Brimfield CUSD 309. “Our district will save more than $22,000 on its energy bills each year. That is a significant amount of money that can be spent on future capital projects and other enrichments to improve school and student outcomes.”
As a community solar project, local residents and businesses in the Ameren area can subscribe to the project and save up to 15% on their energy bills. This groundbreaking project falls under the Illinois Shines Public Schools category, which enables public schools across the state to host community solar projects, realize significant savings and extend those savings to the broader community.
Peoria County has consistently welcomed clean energy and is home to more than 2,400 solar installations, enough to power nearly 9,000 homes in Peoria County. The province and its residents recognize the benefits that clean energy projects bring to their local communities, and this project is another milestone in its growing clean energy portfolio.
Jubilee Solar was built with union labor under a tri-trade agreement, which ensures clean energy investments create good-paying jobs and sustain economic benefits in Illinois communities.
“Projects like Jubilee Solar are proof that clean energy drives economic growth and benefits local communities when unlocked through thoughtful legislation,” said Senator David Koehler (46th Senate District). “I am proud of the Village of Brimfield and greater Peoria County for leading the way on clean energy in Illinois. Thanks to the CRGA Act, we will see more projects like this developed across Illinois that create good-paying jobs, generate local tax revenue and strengthen the grid, while delivering real benefits to local communities and savings to families and businesses.”
News release from Solar Powers Illinois
