Renewable green energy may be coming to the Village of Plainfield. The Plainfield Village Board on Monday heard discussions on the possibility of allowing a solar farm installation in the community.  

Village Planner Rachel Riemenschneider said Turning Point Energy (TPE) is proposing to install solar farms on 20 to 40 acres as part of a long-term lease, which could be for 25 years with an option to extend.

Currently, she said Plainfield’s zoning code only addresses accessory solar energy systems, which are small ground or roof mounted panels where the energy is primarily used on site. Riemenschneider said most often, these types of requests come from home or business owners looking to install a small number of panels on their roof or property.

A solar farm is a large collection of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels that absorb energy from the sun, convert it into electricity and send that electricity to the power grid for distribution and consumption by customers.

Solar farms are usually mounted to the ground instead of rooftops and come in all shapes and sizes. 

If the board wants to pursue this opportunity, she said officials must consider the project size, setbacks, lighting, and signage.

Gloria Foxman, development manager for TPE, said solar farms allow homeowners and others unable to install a system on their property to participate in clean energy, adding there is no upfront cost and no long-term commitment to the subscriber. She said the site is expected to generate 2 to 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 800 to 1,600 households.

Village Administrator Joshua Blakemore said solar farms would not cost the village any money as water and sewer lines are not required for the project. 

“It would be privately developed, and they would work out a land deal,” he said. 

Trustee Margie Bonuchi said the idea is worth pursuing as she and others instructed staff to gather additional information.

“It is something worth looking into,” she said.

Village trustee Tom Ruane agreed the solar farm could be located in an area not prime for commercial or residential development.

“It is a viable solution for land that is not economically viable,” he said. 

Foxman noted TPE has targeted more than $500,000 in community investment across Illinois as part of their community solar project development. Foxman said, “Community solar enables Plainfield residents to benefit from solar without installing panels on individual residents’ properties.  Plus, Foxman added, solar farms reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase grid resiliency.

“This is the wave of the future,” added Brian Wojowski.