ComEd expands solar program in northern Illinois

ComEd Tuesday announced the launch of a community solar project in Kankakee County that offers qualified ComEd customers throughout northern Illinois access to solar energy and savings of up to $1,000 annually on their electricity bills for a three-year subscription.

The Gar Creek solar project will serve up to 600 customers, and applications will be accepted through April 15 at ComEd.com/GiveARay. The project is owned by Fosler Solar, a Babcock & Wilcox company in Freeport, and was developed by Trajectory Energy Partners of Illinois.

Community solar facilities are shared by subscribers who earn credits on their electricity bills for their share of the power produced by a solar array. The Gar Creek project is part of ComEd's "Give-A-Ray" program, which increases access to clean, solar energy for low and moderate income customers.

The Gar Creek community solar project is located in a low-income neighborhood and includes two solar arrays with a combined solar generation capacity of 3.5 megawatts. The Gar Creek project is open to qualified customers who live anywhere in ComEd's northern Illinois region. ComEd will pay all subscription fees on behalf of customers and manage enrollment.

By the end of this year, ComEd expects to have more than 80 community solar projects interconnected to its grid, enabling residential customers to participate in the benefits of solar energy without needing to install solar panels on their own homes.

"At ComEd, we are committed to making the transition to clean energy as inclusive as possible, and the Gar Creek project will help us achieve that goal," said Scott Vogt, vice president of energy acquisition at ComEd.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corp. It powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70% of the state's population.