Title
Community Solar Discussion
History
NIMEC is a purchasing group with over 170 municipal and non-profit organizations across northern Illinois and is the Village’s current energy broker.
Adam Hoover, Director of Strategic Accounts of NIMEC, will present an opportunity to participate in a Community Solar program. According to Adam, the primary benefits for the Village to join Community Solar include access to renewable energy without installing solar and cost savings which are realized as utility bill credits. Community Solar “subscribers” offset a portion of their electricity consumption with power generated by shared solar resources within their utility's territory. Adam says this works by having multiple subscribers share a single solar farm. The electricity generated by the solar farm is added to the grid and delivered to customers by the utility (ComEd). Since ComEd does not generate all the electricity it delivers to customers, they are required to purchase the rest of their electricity from other producers. Community solar subscribers fulfill this need by “renting” a portion of the solar farm and are credited by ComEd on their bills for the electricity their share of the farm generates and delivers to the grid.
If the Village Board is interested, NIMEC would pursue a Community Solar developer that could provide at least 10% savings, if not more. In addition, developers have different start dates, so NIMEC would look for the soonest availability, likely in 2026.
Many contracts with Community Solar developers include terms of either 15-20 years that match the life of the solar panels in rural Illinois. Additionally, most developers include an early termination fee. The fee would be one year’s savings, so if the Village participated in at least two years, the program would still create savings. Additionally, NIMEC would work with the supplier to find a replacement and entirely waive the termination fee.
Financial Impact
Adam estimates that if a...
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