Who is developing this project? St. Louis-based Azimuth Renewables is the corporation behind the project. Its development partner in Illinois is Highland Park-based Trajectory Energy Partners , which has worked on numerous community solar projects around the state, including seven in Marshall County and about 20 in central Illinois.
Azimuth is working on developing a series of similar projects ranging from 20 megawatts to 200 megawatts of energy in states including Illinois, Missouri and Colorado, the company’s application states.
Trajectory is headed by managing partner Jon Carson, who became a familiar figure in Marshall and some other counties through the preliminary development of community solar projects in 2018-19. Because construction at that time was contingent on a highly competitive state lottery, most have not been built yet, but recent legislation promises to make progress possible on many next year, Carson indicated
Meanwhile, Azimuth’s record with utility-scale projects was a key factor in the decision to team up with the company on the larger endeavors in Illinois, Carson told the ZBA.
‘Looking out for the kids and grandkids’ Who owns the land swapping row crops for solar panels? Brothers Tod and Troy White, both of whom live nearby and have been farming the land for many years. They’re two of four brothers in a family that also owns a nearby gravel pit and has been involved in trucking.
At the ZBA hearing, zoning administrator Patrick Sloan said the only negative feedback his office had received was an email stating a “philosophical” objection to taking prime farmland out of production. Troy White addressed that at the hearing.
“It is a very good farm. And sure, $5 corn is awesome, $13 beans are awesome. But it really doesn’t matter because then everything else goes up. Right now, anhydrous (fertilizer) is $1,400 a ton rather than $500,” he said.
“One way to look at it is that (with the solar lease) we know what we’re going to get and have every year,” he added. “We’re just looking out for the kids and grandkids.”
The brothers, who are in their 50s, farm about 1,500 acres of their own land and as many as 4,000 total in some years, Troy White said in a later interview. He has three children and three grandchildren while Tod White has one of each, he said, and none are expected to become farmers.
“I love farming. I was raised on a farm,” Troy White added. “And I’m going to continue to farm, just not quite as much land.”
Community solar vs. utility solar Community solar farms are limited by state law to 2 megawatts of capacity, which generally requires 20 acres or less. Also, they’re specifically intended to offer participation in the benefits of solar energy to a wide range of citizens who cannot have rooftop or other private systems but can obtain discounts on their electricity through subscriptions to solar farms.
In contrast, utility-scale projects sell their power on the wholesale market, often through a contract with a single large user such as a manufacturer, hospital or university. And solar has increasingly become a competitive source of new energy in Illinois, spurring the ongoing development of projects even without legislation, Carson noted.
“That also means that this project will be able to move forward with construction without state subsidies,” he told the ZBA. “That’s really one of the major intentions here.”
1,000 rows of solar panels Construction will consist of installing solar panels in about 1,000 rows of 100 panels each, for a total of 100,000, Carson said. Unlike many earlier projects in which the panels are stationary and facing south, these will be installed on a “tracking” axis and face east in the morning, level off at noon, and face west in the afternoon as they follow the sun.
The arrays of panels will be mounted on steel posts driven into the ground, so the only concrete will be a few pads for electrical equipment, including a small substation, according to the application. Nearby Ameren Illinois high-voltage lines run through the middle of the property, facilitating a connection to the power grid.
The entire site will be surrounded by a 7-foot chain link fence. At one point where owners of a rural residence directly across a road requested screening, the fence will be green and solid with slats, and there will be evergreen trees as well as a buffer of tall prairie grass.
A county ordinance and state law both require the equipment to be removed at the end of the project’s life.
“At the end of the 35 years, the land will be returned to agriculture,” Carson said.
‘I wish we were getting one in East Peoria’ In one of the few public comments at the ZBA hearing, Heart of Illinois Sierra Club executive committee chair Bob Jorgensen suggested that the site be planted with wildflowers and other environmentally conscious plants including milkweed for monarch butterflies. Carson responded that the site plan does indeed call for seeding with native pollinators and would include milkweed in areas not in the utility right of way.
“I should have known you would have thought of that already,” Jorgensen replied. “I’m a very strong supporter of (the project), and the idea of getting good, clean energy, getting tax money for (local governments), just looks like a fantastic option. I wish we were getting one in East Peoria.”
Marshall County, for its part, has been strikingly receptive to alternative energy, having previously approved 14 community solar projects and also wind farms in both the eastern and western sections of the county. That continued at the ZBA hearing.
“I just think it would be a good thing for our community,” said member Denny Bogner, a former County Board chairman.
If final approval is given Wednesday, it will take about another year to complete preparatory work, Carson said. One of the first steps will be carefully mapping drain tiles in the fields, because state law mandates that they remain intact and functional at the end of the project’s life.
Apart from that, “The main work that still has to be done on the project is the final interconnection work with Ameren,” he added in an email, “and the procurement of materials for these projects and planning for the construction are things that happen in the year before construction.”
Source: Journal Star
