Kane To Flip Switch On New Solar Field Oct. 20

Shaw Local News Network: By Shaw Local News Network

More than 6K solar panels to provide nearly half power needs of Judicial Center, jail for 25 years.

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – Kane County officials will flip the switch on the new 10-acre solar field in a public ceremony at 10 a.m.

Oct. 20 on the campus of the Kane County Judicial Center, 37W777 Route 38, St. Charles Township, according to a news release.

Due to rain, the event was rescheduled from Oct. 13, officials announced this week.

The switch is 6-feet tall and will turn on more than 6,000 solar panels.

The 2-megawatt solar field contains more than 6,000 solar panels at the corner of Peck and Bricher roads behind the main courthouse and is part of Kane County’s Green Initiative program.

It will provide 47% of the Judicial Center and jail’s energy usage, a savings of $5 million or $200,000 a year over 25 years, officials said.

In 2021, the Kane County Board approved the solar field project, which could generate more than 4.1 million kilowatt hours.

A kilowatt hour is a unit of energy equal to one kilowatt of power sustained for one hour and commonly is used as a billing unit by utilities.

The county will lease the solar field to GRNE Solar of Palatine, which will operate the solar field.

The county had no up-front costs and will buy power from GRNE at a reduced rate, according to a news release that announced the project.

Kane County Board Chairwoman Corinne Pierog said in an email that the “new solar field marks another milestone in our commitment to reducing Kane County’s carbon footprint.”

“The benefits to the environment and the reduction in what the county pays for energy are real,” Pierog said.

“We are excited to continue our efforts to create a more sustainable environment for future generations of Kane county families while protecting our environment and saving taxpayers’ money by reducing the county’s energy costs.”