Ameresco completes 2.6 MW Brightfield solar project on former General Motors Powertrain
Division Plant (brownfield) site in Danville, Illinois
Source: Credit to Ameresco Inc.
| Project Name | The Brightfield Solar Project in Danville, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Location | Danville, Illinois |
| Project Sponsor / Borrower | RACER Trust and Ameresco Inc. |
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| Value Capture Techniques | Asset Recycling (recycling land for solar energy), Right-of-Way Use Agreements, Solar Energy Use |
| Mode | Other: Solar Energy |
| Description | The City of Chicago, working with DOE and Commonwealth Edison, developed an extensive plan that uses the brightfields approach to advance its economic development, air quality, and electricity reliability goals. The "brightfield" solar project in Danville, Illinois is a 2.6 MW installation in central Illinois, built on a former General Motors Powertrain Division Plant turned brownfield site. Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company, an independent power producer and green energy investment company, is the owner of the installation. The Danville Solar System is making productive use of land that might otherwise lie dormant, while avoiding construction in more pristine areas. The Danville solar system consists of over 6,600 solar modules and is connected to the Ameren utility grid. The completed project is expected to generate over 3,600,000 kWh of electricity and offset over 1,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. These figures are equivalent to powering 350 Illinois homes and removing approximately 480 cars from the road. Brightfields is a new initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in August 1999, aimed at using former industrial sites contaminated with toxic waste for producing pollution-free solar energy. |
| Cost | $ 3.5 million |
| Funding Sources | Ameresco Inc., which is based in Framingham, Mass., purchased the 80.4-acre Danville property from RACER Trust in November 2020, investing $3.5 million to develop a generation facility that supplies enough solar energy to power roughly 2,000 homes for a year. |
| Project Delivery / Contract Method | 100% Private Funding |
| Private Partner | Inovateus Solar and Ameresco |
| Project Advisors / Consultants | N/A |
| Lenders | N/A |
| Duration / Status | The Danville solar project began construction in November of 2020 and reached completion in May of 2022 |
| Financial Status | Financial close in November 2020 |
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| Related Links / Articles | Ameresco Completes "Brightfield" Solar Project on Former Brownfield Site in Illinois Racer Trust Honors Ameresco, Inc., For Solar Reuse of Former Industrial Landfill in Danville, IL. |
| Contacts | Jeff Denovan Leila Dillon |
