Community solar power* is one of my new favorite things. Well, no, that’s not true — it’s been one of my favorite things for years. The good news is just that it’s been growing strongly.
The news today: The Illinois Community Solar program from Clearway Community Solar just landed Northwestern University as its first major commercial subscriber.
Image courtesy Clearway Community Solar
With its new subscription, Northwestern University is supporting the development of 16 Clearway Community Solar projects. It has committed to an 11.9 megawatt (MW) subscription. The expected reduction in pollution is equivalent to taking 2,934 average cars (not electric cars) off the road.
Clearway has been on a roll lately. The company notes that it is “the largest community solar provider in the US.” Furthermore, in January it closed financing on a $200 million community solar fund, “which will enable the construction of new community solar projects in Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York.” Illinois has a goal of reaching 25% renewable electricity by 2025. Clearway Community Solar is clearly aimed at doing its part to help get the state there.
*Not familiar with community solar power? Clearway has a good, short description: “Community Solar allows businesses, universities, hospitals, municipalities, and residents alike to support renewable solar power without rooftop panel installations. When rooftop panels are simply not an option due to permitting, historic buildings, shading, or other reasons, Community Solar offers a sustainable solution that equally helps reduce overall electricity costs.”
You can also scroll through our community solar archives. We recently had stories about community solar projects in Florida, Colorado, New Jersey, D.C., Utah, and beyond.
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Former Tesla Battery Expert Leading Lyten Into New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Era — Podcast:
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
