Nexamp and TurningPoint Energy have commissioned two community solar projects in Minonk, Illinois, on a reclaimed former coal mine site in Woodford County. The two Minonk community solar projects have a combined capacity of 9.8 MW across roughly 40 acres, sending energy directly to the ComEd grid.
Built above a former mine that extracted from the Colchester Coal Seam for approximately 75 years in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the projects are certified brownfield sites under the Illinois Shines program, earning credits for returning previously disturbed land to productive use. They also represent the first Illinois Shines community solar development in Woodford County.
“Standing on this former coal site today and seeing it continue its role in powering our communities is a powerful symbol of Illinois’ energy future,” said State Senator Chris Balkema. “This Minonk community solar project demonstrates how we can build on our energy heritage while embracing new opportunities. I support an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes coal, natural gas, nuclear, solar, wind, and emerging technologies — because affordable, reliable energy is essential for lowering costs for families, attracting investment, and supporting quality jobs right here in Woodford County.”
The Minonk projects are among the first in ComEd’s system to incorporate Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS), a smart grid technology that monitors and manages distributed energy resources in real time. By integrating DERMS across both community solar arrays, the projects help ComEd more effectively balance load, manage variability, and enable clean energy to flow more smoothly on the grid, supporting reliability as Illinois continues to scale up renewable generation.
The two Minonk community solar projects are nearly fully subscribed, with more than 650 unique participants demonstrating strong local and regional interest in shared renewable energy. One project serves approximately 450 residential customers, while the second includes approximately 200 low-income residential subscribers, expanding access to clean energy savings for historically underserved households. The projects also feature two prominent institutional anchor subscribers: Rush University Medical Center and the College of DuPage. Together, these two institutions account for 40% of the combined projects’ total offtake, providing a stable foundation that helps enable broader community participation.
Developed by TurningPoint Energy and built, owned and operated by Nexamp, these Minonk projects are the first collaboration between the two companies in Illinois.
“This is exactly the kind of project we aspire to deliver with our partners and our customers,” noted Zaid Ashai, CEO, Nexamp. “By turning a former coal mine into a pair of community solar farms, we are helping hundreds of subscribers reduce their energy costs today while strengthening their energy security for the long term. By pairing that affordability with U.S.-manufactured equipment and advanced grid tools like DERMS, these Minonk projects not only put clean power within reach for households and institutions, they also show how community solar can make the grid smarter, more resilient, and better prepared for Illinois’ clean energy future.”
News item from Nexamp
