An Alabama company wants to turn the former Kewanee Boiler property from a trash- and weed-covered brownfield to a source of cheaper power for Kewaneeans.
Empower Solutions of Birmingham, Ala., wants to lease the 30-acre site north of the railroad tracks on the west side of Kewanee to install a five-megawatt solar array.
The property, which was cleared of most of the old factory buildings a few years ago, is considered a brownfield because of, in the words of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the “potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.”
Miles Walding, director of community development for Enpower Solutions, said his company prefers putting solar panels onto brownfield sites because that doesn’t take valuable farm ground out of production. Solar arrays are one of the few uses available for these sites because they don’t require digging into potentially contaminated soil.
Walding said the planned five-watt solar array would cover most of the Boiler site. The power generated would be sent to the electric grid through Ameren’s local facilities.
When the project is up and running, Enpower will partner with a company to seek subscriptions from local residents for electricity. Subscribers typically see a 10-percent reduction in their power bill, Walding said.
Before the solar panels can be installed, there will be preparatory work to be done. Walding said his company will hire local contractors to clear the remaining rubble from the site and get rid of the vegetation.
There is a fence around the site, but Walding said it might not meet the applicable codes, and
“We will look to replace the fencing that is there.”
Walding said Enpower likes building solar projects in Illinois because of the state’s “solar-friendly” laws. The company is working on a solar project on a brownfield site in Alton, and is doing one near Havana as well.
Before the solar project can begin, Enpower will need a special-use permit. Although the site is zoned M-2 for manufacturing, city ordinances still require the permit.
The permit application will be considered by the Planning Commission at its June 28 meeting, and will be up for final approval at the first City Council meeting in July.
Keith Edwards, the city’s community development officer, said city officials are “pretty excited” about the Enpower plan. Edwards said the staff at Enpower are “some of the nicest people you could talk to. They want to help us get that property cleaned up and make some use out of it.”
