D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments‘ (DESRI) Prairie State Solar and Dressor Plains Solar projects have reached commercial operation in Illinois. They are each 99 MWac solar facilities, with Prairie located in Perry County and Dressor located in Fayette County. Both projects were developed in partnership with Ranger Power, a Chicago-based utility-scale solar development company.
SOLV Energy served as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor. In addition, SOLV Energy will provide ongoing operations and maintenance services to the facility once operational.
Prairie and Dressor both have long-term power purchase agreements with Wabash Valley Power Alliance (WVPA). The facilities are each expected to generate enough clean energy to power approximately 21,000 homes per year. The projects also both have contracts for renewable energy certificate purchases with the Illinois Power Agency (IPA).
The projects contribute to Illinois’s commitments under its renewable portfolio standard and the Future Energy Jobs Bill to procure 25% of the state’s electricity from renewables by 2025.
“Our team is grateful for the hard work from the RUS team, our development partner Ranger Power, WVPA, and IPA for making new renewable energy and local investment available for Illinois customers and businesses,” said Aileen Kenney, executive director of development and project management for DESRI.
