Elgin’s first solar farm now operating at Bowes and Nolan roads

A fence surrounded by landscaping shields hundreds of low-profile, flat-mounted solar panels at Cultivate Power’s Bowes Road facility.

Bowes Road is Elgin’s first solar farm, and it’s now fully operational.

City and company officials gathered Thursday for a ribbon-cutting event for the 30-acre enterprise at Bowes and Nolan roads.

“This is the first site we are both developing and operating. We’re really excited about the project,” said Kiera Gavin, director of development for Cultivate Power, based in Chicago.

The solar development company has been active in the state for four years. It’s been involved in close to 30 projects, said Noah Hyte, co-founder and managing director.

Bowes Road solar farm produces 11.2 megawatts of power to 500 commercial and residential customers. A solar farm captures sunlight, converts it to power and distributes the energy to the grid.

Customers subscribe to the farm to get electricity, which can save 10% to 20% over standard electricity rates, according to Gatby, a company that helps residents and business owners find ways to save on energy costs.

Bowes Road will provide “resilience to the local grid. If you have a big storm outage or other grid issues, this will continue to generate and provide power to the local area,” Hyte said.

The project started in 2022, but Cultivate Power took over a few years later. It’s the same footprint as originally planned, but they were able to add more capacity, he said.

“We were able to find the right approach,” Hyte said. “We found there were opportunities to directly engage and hear concerns and incorporate those in the design.”

Mayor Dave Kaptain, who attended the ribbon-cutting, said neighbors seem happy with the results.

There had been attempts to develop the property over the last two decades, including a residential subdivision. But a wetland area at the back of the site made it a challenging project.

“This is a good use of the land,” Kaptain said.

Elgin has been a leader in bringing solar to the community, with the city being among the first to have a community solar program, the mayor said. The program allows residents and small businesses to subscribe to local solar farms without the need for rooftop panels.

The city’s Sustainability Commission also has initiatives to encourage solar power usage.

“This is all starting to bear fruit,” Kaptain said.

As more people embrace solar power, he believes its use will grow, especially as the cost of electricity goes up, he said.

“Hopefully, Elgin will continue to be a leader,” Kaptain said.

Hyte said the farm “provides more than power and grid resilience; it provides support to communities.”

Its impact on the local community includes $325,000 in direct community investments, a fivefold increase in property tax revenues from the property and 75 construction jobs, company officials said.

The city will collect $64,000 in property taxes in the farm’s first year of operations, compared to the $12,000 collected in 2025.

Cultivate Power is also investing in the community through Elgin Community College, Food for Greater Elgin, Friends of the Fox River, Evolve Foundation and Sesenergy, which provides workforce training.

It also has a STEM program for local schools, Gavin said. Teachers have already visited the site and learned about the curriculum available surrounding solar power, she said.

“We are very focused on investing in local communities alongside the projects we develop,” Gavin said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.