A new solar project south of OSF Saint Luke Medical Center on Midland Road got the go-ahead Monday from the City Council.
The solar array is to be built on OSF property, which is within the Kewanee city limits. The council unanimously approved a special-use permit for the project.
An informational packet from the company planning the project, Trajectory Energy Partners, said when it’s up and running the project will “produce enough energy to power an estimated 950 homes and will provide an estimated utility bill savings of $85,350 annually to community solar subscribers in the area.”
Information on subscribing to the project is available from Trajectory Energy Partners.
The solar array, which will be called Indigo Bunting Solar, will generate more than electricity. As farm ground, the property south of the hospital pays about $4,000 a year in taxes; the solar project will pay about $34,600 a year.
The Wethersfield School District would be the biggest beneficiary of this increase, but all taxing bodies that cover the site would see a boost.
At last week’s meeting in which the Planning Commission voted 4-4 on the special use permit, neighbors to the south of the solar site expressed concerns about its impact on their farm.
Chad and Amber Anderson said their cattle graze on the pasture that borders the south side of the OSF property. At their request, the Trajectory people agreed to change the variety of plants they’ll put around the solar site to ones that would be safer for the cattle to eat.
They’ve also agreed to plant evergreen trees to screen the solar arrays from the neighbors, and to make sure stormwater runoff from the arrays doesn’t impact the Andersons’ farm.
Kiersten Sheets, senior project development manager, said the labor cost for creating the solar arrays could be around $5 million. As much local labor as possible will be used, she said.
It will take time — maybe as long as six years — before the array goes online, Sheets said.
***This copy has been edited to correct information about the Planning Commission vote. The commission did not approve the special use permit as originally reported but instead voted 4-4. The copy has been updated to reflect the vote.
