Des Plaines sites chosen for Cook County solar power program

Two sites in Des Plaines are among 15 selected by the Cook County Department of Environmental Control for a pilot program to help study and establish community shared solar power in the region.

The sites are the Des Plaines-Lake Landfill, 9800 E. Central Road, and the United Airlines Training and Data Center, 1200 E. Algonquin Road. Other locations include Glenview, Skokie, Park Forest, Markham and six sites in Chicago.

Community shared solar is a solar-electric system that provides power and/or financial benefits to multiple community members, expanding access to solar power for renters, condominium owners, those with shaded roofs and those who choose not to install a residential system on their home for financial or other reasons.

The county's goal is to facilitate access to solar power in the next five years for at least 30,000 Cook County residents who would not otherwise be able to benefit from the clean and renewable source of electricity.