Naperville councilman’s solar power plant draws criticism
A resident’s call to censure a city councilman for alleged unethical practices has fallen on deaf ears in Naperville.
Gerard Schilling, a staunch opponent of the city’s smart grid plan for electricity, called on the council to censure member Steve Chirico for accepting a state grant to partially fund an $800,000, 150-kilowatt rooftop solar power plant being built at his business at 1051 Frontenac Road in Naperville.
Schilling said Chirico’s involvement in the project is a conflict of interest, considering the ongoing Naperville Smart Grid Initiative, an upgrade of the city’s $360 million electric network that officials say will provide more efficient, cost-effective and reliable service to customers and empower them with more information about their energy use.
“We’ve come to a matter of a sitting councilman who has voted on various aspects of smart meter and grid projects and would be voting, in the future, on our electric rates,” Schilling said during Tuesday night’s council meeting. “I want this council to stop this coercive behavior by requesting a censure resolution against this gentleman.”
Chirico first announced his receipt of the $250,000 Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant for the development of a solar power plant on the roof of his Great Western Flooring Company building on Earth Day. He said he has tried to avoid any perception of unethical practices since he applied for the grant last year.
The state grant is funded by ComEd for the development of renewable energy. The grant’s purpose is to provide incentives to businesses and individuals to invest in renewable energy in an effort to meet the state’s renewable energy goals and requirements.
“The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, in part, funded this rooftop solar plant at $250,000. I soon will be applying for the federal grant as well, which hopefully will come through at the same amount,” Chirico said.
He said electricity to his building is supplied by ComEd, not the city-owned public electric utility.
The grant, he said, “significantly offsets the overall investment in this plant, which is probably the biggest risk I’ve ever made in my business career. I didn’t know if any money would ever come back but I knew it was the right thing to do. So I’m very proud of it and of everyone who has worked on it for the past several years.”
If Chirico gets the $250,000 federal grant, he will be responsible for the remaining cost of the project, or roughly $300,000.
Ultimately, Chirico said, he believes when the plant is fired up within the next two weeks it will produce enough energy to service 30 to 40 homes a day. That energy will then be sold back to ComEd.
“I believe it’s our obligation to do our part for our nation to find renewable energy sources that will stabilize our energy production. I think we will not have true national security unless we have a diversified energy source,” Chirico said.
“The country also believes this and that’s whey there are incentives for business to take these risks, a risk that quite frankly doesn’t pay off in dollars,” he said. “It pays off in other ways, like when a parent spends time with their child. They don’t get paid money for that. It’s just the right thing to do.”
City Manager Doug Krieger said he has looked into Schilling’s accusations and believes they are unfounded.
“We are aware of nothing improper that was done. We have looked into some of the accusations and have found absolutely nothing,” Krieger said. “(Chirico’s) votes on this dais have nothing to do with his private business. We found no wrongdoing on our end.”