St. Charles To Cut Ribbon on New Solar Facility
St. Charles is hosting an official ribbon-cutting and Open House for the St. Charles Solar facility at 11 a.m. today (Monday, May 14, 2018).
St. Charles Solar Facility is located at 850 Equity Drive in the Legacy Business Center adjacent to the East Side Sports Complex, Kirk Road and Legacy Boulevard. Parking is available along Equity Drive.
The 500kW utility-scale demonstration solar plant began commercial operation Sept. 1, 2017.
The ground-mounted solar panel array includes 4,824 solar panels produced in Ohio. The solar plant is a project of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, which supplies wholesale power to the City of St. Charles.
As a demonstration site, it will supplement electric capacity by approximately 650,000 kWh per year, about enough power to supply 70 St. Charles residential customers. St. Charles Electric Utility and IMEA are studying how the solar plant contributes to the city’s distribution system.
IMEA has launched a web page that tracks current and historical production of the solar plant www.imea.org/StCharlesSolar.aspx.
Remarks at today’s event will be delivered by:
- Kevin Gaden, president and CEO, Illinois Municipal Electric Agency
- Mayor Raymond P. Rogina, mayor of the City of St. Charles
- Congressman Randy Hultgren, 14th District of Illinois
- Congressman Peter Roskam, 6th District of Illinois
- Rob Schueffner, Hybrid Energy Solutions Manager, Caterpillar
Also expected to attend:
- Karen McConnaughay, Illinois state senator 33rd District
- Jim Oberweis, Illinois state senator 25th District
- Members of the St. Charles City Council
- Mayors and Electric Services Managers of surrounding municipalities
About the City of St. Charles
City of St. Charles Mission: Heritage. Community. Service. Opportunity. Friendly neighborhoods, unique architecture, beautiful parks, cultural amenities and innovative schools have earned St. Charles its reputation as the Pride of the Fox.
Located in both DuPage and Kane counties, the city of St. Charles is 35 miles west of downtown Chicago, and has a population of approximately 33,000. More than 2,100 businesses, consisting of a balanced mix of retailers, restaurants and manufacturing facilities, employ more than 18,000 people.
The city of St. Charles was named the #1 City for Families by Family Circle® magazine in 2011; one of the “150 Great Places in Illinois,” by the AIA Illinois; and one of the “Top 10 Towns To Live In” by West Suburban Living magazine. www.stcharlesil.gov
About IMEA
IMEA is a not-for-profit unit of local government created in 1984 that is comprised of 32 municipal electric systems from across Illinois. Each of those communities owns and operates its own electric distribution system.
IMEA’s focus is on the reliable delivery of bulk power and energy to its Members at low and stable prices. IMEA combines the power needs of all of its Members and secures the electricity necessary to satisfy those needs. Visit www.imea.org.
