The Illinois Power Agency has announced that all distributed generation solar energy project applications will be funded, including for the Galesburg water treatment plant in Oquawka.This will allow the facility to essentially run entirely on solar while selling the city energy back at a reduced rate.
Community Power Group was the contractor chosen by aldermen to build what will be a 1.375-megawatt solar farm on land CPG will lease from an adjacent property.
The company will pay for the construction and operation of the solar facility.
Mayor John Pritchard sees little downside with no upfront costs for Galesburg tax-payers and an estimated savings of $1.7 million over the 25-year life of the contract.
But frankly, he says this is only possible because of state appropriated incentives.
“If it weren’t for the rent credits and the investment tax credits, if it weren’t for those incentives it wouldn’t make any sense to do, because the payback would be way too long,” Pritchard says. “And the city’s commitment on these other community solar projects is just the use of the land.”
The city has also agreed to host up to four other community solar gardens but those may take a while longer.
Those projects were funded by a lottery with only 34 sites chosen in the state.
All unfunded projects were put into a ranked queue and city officials think a community solar garden at the Galesburg airport could be funded in the next year or two.
Other proposed gardens at Logistics Park may not be funded for another 8 to 10 years.
http://illinoisabp.com/april-10-2019-lottery-results/
