Illinois’s first community solar project to be combined with a battery energy storage system in Ameren Illinois territory is now online. A similar project was recently brought online in ComEd territory.
A snowy ribbon cutting at Beard Solar in Illinois.
Situated in Beardstown, Illinois, the 6.9-MW Beard Solar project is paired with an 11.9-MWh energy storage system owned by Equity Solar Illinois (ESI) and developed and designed in a collaboration between project developer US Solar and battery integrator Eneon-ES.
“Beard Solar underscores the vital role storage plays in modernizing our energy grid and expanding access to the benefits of clean energy,” said Rena Henderson Mason, ESI Principal. “This project reflects ESI’s commitment to pairing clean energy development with community impact to build a grid that serves everyone.”
Beard Solar will enable subscribers like local small businesses to reduce energy costs and provide additional tax revenue to local taxing bodies. Beardstown Community Unit School District 15, for example, will receive roughly $205,000 in tax revenue over the life of the project (approximately 20 years).
“We’re proud to contribute to a first-of-its-kind clean energy project in Ameren Illinois territory,” said Huang lu, Chief Technical Officer at Eneon. “By pairing solar with storage, this project delivers firm, dispatchable power and strengthens grid resiliency for Illinois communities.”
News item from ESI
