Groundbreaking for a 17-acre solar project on the former Kewanee Boiler property in west Kewanee could come early next year.
Taft Elliott of EnPower Solutions, the company developing the solar project, said several key steps have been taken already, and some things remain to be done before the solar panels can be installed.
Elliott said EnPower, based in the Birmingham, Ala. area, has obtained approval from the Illinois Power Agency of an Adjustable Block Program award for the project. EnPower is partnering with Ameren Illinois in the Kewanee project.
The next step, Elliott said, is for Ameren to install the connection between the Boiler Co. site and its electrical network. That project could take three to six months, he said.
The EnPower project is “the first one in line” for Ameren to approve, he said.
One of the major tasks that must be done before the solar arrays can be installed is clearing brush and rubble from the 30-acre Boiler site.
While the solar panels will only cover about half of the site, EnPower officials have said they plan to clear the entire site of trees, brush and other debris, and replace the fence that surrounds the property.
The plan is to hire local contractors to do that work. Elliott said the clearing work could begin late this year, or early next year.
Once the connection to the power grid is in place and the site is cleared, the solar panels can be set up.
“Solar construction is typically quite fast,” Elliott said.
The Boiler project will be a “community solar array,” he said, which will offer savings on electricity costs to Kewanee residents.
