Perry County Board Approves Kimmel Road Solar Farm

“During its January 20 meeting, the Perry County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a special use permit for Kimmel Road Solar, LLC for a 50-megawatt solar farm off Kimmel Road northeast of Du Quoin that will connect to the Ameren substation at the intersection of Kimmel and Willow roads.

Pete Spitler, Weekly-Press

The Perry County Board of Commissioners has unanimously approved the Kimmell Road solar farm project, which is being developed by Trajectory Energy Partners in partnership with Azimuth Renewables.

The 50-megawatt solar farm is anticipated to generate enough power for about 12,000 homes – or, 120 million kilowatt hours every year1Jon Carson, Weekly-Press. The project could generate between $84 and $126 million over the life of the project, “while the county’s taxing districts will get a total of $5 million spread across the 35 years”2Weekly-Press.

Project Details

  • 50-megawatt solar farm, which will produce enough energy for about 12,000 homes 3Jon Carson, Weekly-Press
  • Single axis trackers – which slowly follow the sun during the day – due to “fairly flat land”, which produces “25% more electricity than a panel that was fixed” 4Jon Carson, Weekly-Press
  • Project is currently waiting for a high-voltage line upgrade by Ameren to finish but could see a groundbreaking take place in early 2023, and an estimate of late 2023/2024 to go live, or, “flip the switch” 5Jon Carson, Weekly-Press
  • Perry County taxing districts, including Du Quoin District 300, will see a total of $5 million in tax generation over the life of the project (35 years)6Weekly-Press