Entrepreneurial energy sparks Joliet solar site

The 2,300-plus panels that line a former farm field on the south edge of Joliet reflect an entrepreneurial spirit behind solar energy.

Mark Raeder, a partner with Summit Ridge Energy that developed and operates the site, started his career installing solar panels on houses one at a time.

“I was designing and installing smaller systems for somebody’s house or small business,” Raeder said during an interview at the Speedway Solar site that was activated in February. “This kind of democratizes solar.”

Customers don’t need to install solar panels on their homes and businesses to have access to solar energy.

Speedway Solar, which sits on 31 acres on Sharp Road, is the 75th community solar facility in ComEd’s service territory opened to what is called customer subscription.

Individual ComEd customers have a piece of the 2.5 megawatts generated by the Joliet site. By subscribing with providers such as Summit Ridge Energy, ComEd customers can buy a share of the power the solar facility puts into the electric grid.

The Joliet facility provides more than 350 ComEd customers with access to solar energy and savings on their energy bills, according to ComEd.

The typical community solar subscriber saves between $8 and $10 a month, said Scott Vogt, vice president of strategy and energy policy at ComEd. “It all depends on how big your subscription is.”

On its website, www.comed.com, ComEd provides information on community solar, including a calculator on potential savings. ComEd, however, does not sell solar energy or partner with solar contractors.

“To subscribe to community solar, people kind of have to look around and shop for it,” Vogt said.

However, ComEd cautions customers to be wary of providers that misrepresent themselves as ComEd.

“It’s the exact same caution that you apply to alternative suppliers that you need to apply to community solar suppliers,” Vogt said. Customers should check contract terms including length and whether the discount adjusts when ComEd rates drop, which will occur in June.

The Community Solar program was created with state legislation aimed at expanding use of solar energy. Solar now accounts for less than 1% of the electricity provided through ComEd, although Vogt said capacity is growing significantly.

The number of community solar facilities in the ComEd system is expected to double to 150 by the end of 2023. ComEd estimates that solar on its grid, including rooftop and community solar systems, will grow five times from almost 650 megawatts today to about 3,300 megawatts by 2030.

The Joliet site already is fully subscribed, although customers can look for new opportunities to subscribe.

“We’re constantly bringing new projects online,” Raeder said.

Speedway Solar is so named because of its proximity to Chicagoland Speedway. Another Will County site east of the racetrack generates 2.8 megawatts of electricity.

Summit Ridge Energy is the largest commercial solar developer and owner-operator in Illinois, generating more than 250 megawatts across the state. The Arlington, Virginia-based company has completed more than 70 projects in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic states and New England, according to its website.

Solar facilities operate with little if any staffing on-site, but Summit Ridge Energy does have a Chicago office. The company employs project managers, asset managers, financial modeling analysts and other workers.

“We are hiring,” Raeder said. “We have a staff of about 100 employees and we’re growing.”