Carbondale, Ill. approves $2.4 million solar project deployment

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) - The city of Carbondale, Illinois has approved a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) which will allow a $2.4 million solar project deployment to provide a portion of the city’s power to municipal buildings.

“Our goal was to become a leader in the deployment of sustainable energy in the Southern Illinois region and with the approval of this power purchase agreement, we have a great starting point,” said Carbondale’s Mayor, John “Mike” Henry. “The City will have zero capital outlay for this project and will see savings of up to $1.5M over the life of the PPA”.

According to the city of Carbondale, The city’s energy management consultant Affordable Gas and Electric (AGE) has developed and administers a request for a proposal to solicit offers from providers. The PPA will allow for a third-party owner to construct, own and maintain the solar power system and sell the power generated to the city at a guaranteed rate. Seven bids were accepted and reviewed with analysis and recommendations provided to the city by AGE.

StraightUp Solar, a developer, and Hawk-Attollo LLC, a financier, were awarded the project which has a 25-year fixed rate for the life of the PPA agreement. Estimates show savings could reach $1.5 million over the life of the agreement.

Jeff Haarmann, Managing Partner of AGE, said “We congratulate the City of Carbondale on the awarding of this project. Mayor Henry, Council and City Manager Williams have demonstrated they can be leaders in sustainable energy and do so with economic benefits for their residents. We are extremely pleased with the results and can’t wait to see the panels begin to be installed.”

Three sites will be constructed at the SE Water Water Treatment Plant, the Public Safety Center and the Civic Center. These sites represent the most favorable economic benefit based on electrical usage and available land and roof space. All three sites are also in the Ameren utility area which has the most favorable net metering rules. Net metering allows the electricity produced from solar to be used in real-time or put back on the Ameren grid resulting in credits that can be drawn when solar energy is not being produced.

For further information regarding the City of Carbondale’s solar project, please contact AGE’s Managing Partner, Jeff Haarmann at (618) 204-0115 or jhaarmann@supernovapartners.com or contact City of Carbondale’s Roni LeForge, Public Relations Officer, at (618) 457-3229.