Nexamp’s Solar Star Urbana Landfill community solar farm is ready to begin delivering savings to low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents through the Illinois Solar for All program. The two co-located arrays that make up the project occupy approximately 40 acres on a capped landfill, feature nearly 14,000 solar panels and generate 5.2 MW of clean energy.
SunPower Corporation originally developed the sites, which were qualified under the Illinois Power Agency’s Solar for All program prior to the eventual transaction with Nexamp in 2020. The City of Urbana project joins Nexamp’s larger portfolio of community solar assets in Illinois where the company has developed a significant presence.
The Solar Star Urbana Landfill project will send clean energy to the grid and subscribers will receive credits on their Ameren bill for their share of the energy produced. In addition to individual LMI residents, the City of Urbana is also enrolled in the project and will benefit from the savings provided while helping to support the expansion of clean energy across the area. Qualified residents throughout central and southern Illinois can join the program to receive a 50% discount compared to Ameren’s electricity supply rate.
“Our collaboration with SunPower marks another milestone in Nexamp’s mission to make clean energy accessible to all,” said Jackie Chambers, director of corporate development for Nexamp. “We are committed to ensuring that our local solar projects benefit the communities we serve, and that those benefits extend directly to the LMI community as well. To meet that imperative with the successful conversion of a landfill site into a productive asset for the City of Urbana is especially rewarding.”
SunPower worked closely with the city and the Illinois Power Agency to get the proposed project approved in the Solar for All program and to secure a long-term lease on the capped landfill.
“There are so many reasons why this has been a good move for Urbana,” said Scott Tess, environmental sustainability manager for the city. “We are gaining a new revenue stream in the lease and doing something beneficial with a former landfill, while also securing a project subscription that will bring us electricity savings for the city building. Clean energy is the key to a bright future for Urbana and for the nation, so we are happy to be playing a role.”
