A new community solar project in Mercer County, Illinois, got a sunny welcome as project developers and community members celebrated completion of the new five-megawatt, 38-acre solar array near Viola.
The Goldenrod Solar Project, which is expected to deliver $5.8 million in community benefits over the next 15 years, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration Tuesday, July 29, as the solar array went online. It was developed by Cultivate Power, a solar development company. It is owned and operated by Generate Capital, a sustainable investment and operating company.
In a news release Tuesday, the companies said Goldenrod has been selected as an Illinois Shines Community-Driven Community Solar project for bringing significant direct, tangible benefits to its local community.
A portion of the solar project was made possible through the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) passed by the Illinois State Legislature in 2021. The CEJA supports clean energy industry job training and business growth, and seeks to help Illinois communities impacted by environmental damage.
“This new solar project highlights our commitment to local communities,” said Brian Matthay, managing director of Cultivate Power. “The Goldenrod Solar Project is an excellent example of how Cultivate Power’s solar projects empower local residents and community partners.”
The arrival of Goldenrod’s solar array will offer 850 local solar subscribers up to $3.6 million in lower energy costs through 10-20% in electricity bill savings. Subscribers living in Mercer County and the surrounding counties of Rock Island, Henry, Knox, Warren and Henderson have joined the project at no cost.
Goldenrod scholarships
Goldenrod also supports low- and moderate-income households, who make up 55% of overall project subscribers. Solstice, a leading community solar provider, is handling enrollment for the Goldenrod Solar Project. To learn more about subscribing to Goldenrod or another Illinois community solar project, visit Solstice’s website.
“Goldenrod is about more than resilient energy — it’s about investing in people and places,”
Peggy Flannery, managing director of Generate Capital, said. “From workforce training and scholarships to savings on electricity bills and support for local institutions, this project demonstrates how infrastructure can deliver real, lasting value to the communities in which they operate. We’re honored to be part of something that strengthens Mercer County for the long term.”
As part of their shared commitment to strengthen and support local communities, Cultivate Power and Generate Capital also announced they have committed $600,000 in scholarships, grants and contributions to local Mercer County organizations over the next 12 years. Beneficiaries include Black Hawk College Foundation, Greene Township Fire Protection District, Sherrard High School and Mercer County High School Future Farmers of America chapters, Living Lands & Waters, and Mercer County Better Together.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Cultivate and Generate to establish the Goldenrod Solar Scholarship,” Zenaida Landeros, executive director of Black Hawk College Foundation, said in the release. “Their contributions over the next 12 years will not only create annual scholarships for Mercer County students but will also establish a healthy endowment at both the Quad Cities and East campuses for the scholarship to continue on indefinitely.”
Project site, support
The Goldenrod Solar Project was built on a 38-acre portion of a 250-acre property in rural Viola owned by Bob and Annette Essary, who live there in a home they built 26 years ago. Mr. Essary and his partner will continue to farm the 60 remaining tillable acres on the property and will cultivate hay around the fence of the solar project.
The Essary family assisted in the project’s planning including participating in county and township meetings.
“We decided to move forward with the solar lease because we saw a need to diversify the value of our land,” the Essarys said in a joint statement. “Now we have stable, long-term income from solar rent with our remaining acres available for corn, soybeans and hay. We are thinking about what we are leaving behind for our grandkids and future generations. Plus, we’re alumni of Black Hawk College ourselves, so we are grateful to Cultivate and Generate for giving back to the college and other local organizations.”
Other community benefits include property tax payments estimated to exceed $360,000 in the first 15 years of the project life. They will benefit Sherrard CUSD 200, Greene Fire Protection District and the Viola Public Library District among others.
101 jobs created
In addition, the project provided employment for 101 individuals who constructed it, and $1.5 million over six years to the Evolve Foundation (formerly known as Renewing Sovereignty Project) to deliver solar construction workforce training and wraparound services for formerly incarcerated and other system-impacted individuals.
The foundation has already graduated 50 students funded by the Goldenrod project from three-month intensive training programs and helped place 40 of them into solar industry jobs.
The leading developer of community solar projects in Illinois, Cultivate Power is a distributed solar and storage project developer committed to strengthening communities, the grid and climate stability. It focuses on developing 10- to 50-acre solar and storage projects on farmland and infill.
Generate Capital, Goldenrod’s owner and operator, is a leading sustainable investment and operating platform providing capital and expertise that developers, businesses, cities and communities need to accelerate cost savings, resilience and decarbonization. Since 2014, Generate has invested in and operated sustainable assets across six sectors: power, mobility, waste, green digital, water and agriculture, and industrial decarbonization. For more information, please visit generatecapital.com.
