Yeoman Solar in Waukegan, Illinois.
CleanCapital announced the upcoming completion of two brownfield solar development projects — Yeoman Solar in Waukegan, Illinois, and Little Elk Solar in Elkton, Maryland.
Set to be placed in service at the end of 2025, the Yeoman solar project is a 9.15-MW community solar project built on the Yeoman Creek Landfill Superfund site, a location undergoing environmental remediation. The Waukegan Community Unit School District No. 60 owns the portion of the EPA Superfund site being transformed into an energy generation hub. Participating in the Illinois Solar for All Low-Income Community Solar Pilot Program, the Yeoman solar project will provide low-income Waukegan households with 50% discounted electricity credits, saving each subscriber an estimated $400 annually. CleanCapital has partnered with PowerMarket to manage subscriber engagement and enrollment and has extended the anchor subscription opportunity to the Waukegan Community Unit School District No. 60, further strengthening community ties.
“The Yeoman solar project is the largest community solar facility in ComEd service territory, and its completion is a major milestone for CleanCapital, as well as for Waukegan-area customers looking to reduce their energy costs,” said Gil Quiniones, president and CEO of ComEd. “We look forward to continuing to partner with CleanCapital as the company brings more renewable energy onto the grid for the benefit of ComEd customers.”
The Little Elk Solar Project, with a capacity of 822 kW, is also scheduled to be placed in service by the end of 2025. Located on an EPA Superfund site, formerly home to a paper mill and solvent recycling facilities, this project marks a significant step in repurposing contaminated land for clean energy generation. Before development began, this project was acquired by CleanCapital as part of its acquisition of BQ Energy, a long-time national leader in landfill and brownfield renewable energy development Little Elk Solar is expected to produce an annual output of 1,084 MWh and will provide energy under the Maryland Community Solar Energy Generation System Pilot Program, with at least 50% of its energy dedicated to serving low-to-moderate income (LMI) customers in the Delmarva territory.
“Both of these solar projects underscore the transformative potential of developing brownfields and Superfund sites into productive, renewable energy generation assets,” said Paul Curran, chief development officer at CleanCapital. “Projects like these are what our team at CleanCapital enjoy investing in and developing because it will bring affordable and reliable energy to those in the local communities, helping to reduce their monthly utility bill.”
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