Aurora Launches Community Solar Program Aimed at Lowering Utility Bills

Aurora residents could save money on their monthly electric bills under a new community solar power program, according to city officials.

The savings could equate to around $105 per year for residents taking part in the program, said Arnold Schramel, co-founder of Progressive Business Solutions, the city's energy consultant.

The solar program allows residents to subscribe to local solar farms and receive credits directly on their monthly electric bills, without installing rooftop solar panels, purchasing equipment or changing their current utility provider, city officials said.

Subscriptions opened Sept. 1, with limited spots, and residents have already begun to sign up, Schramel said. The solar fields should go online by November, and do not cost residents or the city anything, he said.

"I think that will help people save a little bit on their energy bills at a time when the economy is tough," Aurora Mayor John Laesch said of the program.

Once residents enroll, the participating solar farm generates clean electricity that feeds into the local power grid, city officials said. Subscribers then receive credits based on their share of the solar farm's output, reducing their monthly electricity bill through their existing utility provider.

Residents could receive 90% of their power from the solar panel fields under the program, Schramel said.

Powering the program are two 30-acre, five-megawatt solar fields at the northeast corner of the Aurora Municipal Airport and just south of Route 30. The city is set to receive 40% of the energy production from the fields, and the other 60% is designated to Aurora residents.

That residential-designated energy is enough to power about 1,300 subscribers, a small portion of the total 50,000 eligible accounts, Schramel said.

The solar developers aim to enroll subscribers ahead of the opening of the two city-owned solar fields in November, "so they'll have a place to put all these electrons that they're producing," Schramel added.

The city's portion of the produced energy is set to save it about $80,000 a year in energy costs for city-owned facilities, Schramel said.

The community solar program comes three years after the city approved the lease of the city-owned sites for solar fields. The city contracted with SunCode Energy to develop the solar fields in August 2023, Schramel said.

Community solar programs, first pioneered in the mid-2000s, aim to bring clean energy to the many American households that do not have access to solar panels, often because residents cannot afford them, do not own their homes or do not get enough sun on their roofs. The state's Future Energy Jobs Act established the state community solar framework in 2016, an effort that was further supported by state funding for community solar projects under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021.

Another Aurora solar project is set to come online by November, Schramel said. The city and solar energy company 548 Energy are working to build a solar field at the city's Church Road pumping station to power the well there, a project that was approved by the city this year.

Solar field developments are also ongoing in nearby Montgomery and North Aurora, Schramel said.

Residents interested in participating in the new Aurora solar power program can learn more and enroll at ampion.net/cityofaurorail, city officials said. Additional program information is available through the city of Aurora at www.aurora.il.us/CommunitySolar.

City officials said to contact Ampion directly with any questions at (847) 579-4658 or at signup@ampion.net.