ComEd and solar developer Soltage today (May 18) announced the completion of a new community solar project in Morris, Ill., which will enable residents to save money on their ComEd electric bills while supporting the expansion of renewable energy and Illinois' ambitious clean energy goals.
"ComEd and Soltage are proud to play leading roles in the growth of community solar in Illinois," said Scott Vogt, vice president of Strategy and Energy Policy at ComEd. "The new Morris project increases the total number of community solar projects in our northern Illinois region to more than 80, enabling a growing number of customers to easily access renewable energy and contribute to a healthier environment."
The Soltage community solar farm includes more than 7,300 solar panels and occupies 11 acres along Dupont Road in Morris. Combined, the projects will generate approximately 2.7 megawatts of clean energy, enough to serve the needs of almost 500 average Illinois homes.
"We are pleased to help make the ComEd region one of the nation's fastest growing markets for community solar," said Jesse Grossman, CEO, Soltage, one of the largest developers of community solar projects in the United States. "We expect to have completed over eight community solar projects in northern Illinois by the end of this year with six, including the Morris site, already in operation and two under construction, helping ComEd bring reliable, clean energy to its customers."
Enacted in 2021, Illinois' Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) increases support for renewable energy to reach 40 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040. It creates nearly 9,800 megawatts of new solar capacity and increases funding for the Illinois Solar for All program -- which gives lower-income customers access to solar power --from $30 million to $70 million annually. By the end of 2023, ComEd expects to double the number of community solar projects on its electric grid to more than 150, serving approximately 36,000 customers.
Community solar allows all ComEd customers to participate in the benefits of clean solar energy without installing solar panels of their own. Participants subscribe to a solar energy "farm" of solar panels owned by an independent developer and earn credits on their monthly ComEd bills for their portion of the energy produced by the project. In Illinois community solar customers can subscribe up to 110 percent of their last 12 months of electricity usage. Energy generated by the community solar project flows to ComEd's grid and becomes part of the overall energy supply.
The multi-year grid and rate plans ComEd filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) earlier this year support this rapid expansion of renewable energy and help ensure equitable access to the benefits of clean energy under CEJA. The plans align with ComEd 2030, the company's recently announced vision for a carbon-free energy future that will benefit all communities and meet customers' changing needs for the rest of this decade and beyond.
ComEd customers can visit www.ComEd.com/Solar to learn more about solar options, the interconnection process, and use the ComEd community solar calculator, which provides an estimate for potential customer savings.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers - the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
