Illinois Community Solar Lands Northwestern University As New Customer

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.

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.