Dowell, a tight-knit former coal town in Southern Illinois, is turning the page. Once fueled by the Kathleen Coal Mine, the village is now beginning to run on sunlight.
As The Southern Illinoisan reported, solar panels went up on the rooftops of Dowell's village hall and fire department in April. Just weeks later, the village hall saw a $267 drop in its monthly power bill. That's welcome news for residents facing rising energy costs and looking for solutions.
"This was a good start, because we need to prove to people that you can save money with solar," Mayor Debi Gresham told the publication.
The project, made possible through help from the city of Carbondale and prize money from the U.S. Department of Energy, was built by A&I Builders from Steeleville. According to KFVS, the village did it all at no cost thanks to state and federal incentives and grant money. Dowell will save a projected $125,000 over the next 25 years.
Beyond the monetary incentives, clean energy means fewer harmful pollutants in the air. That can mean less risk of breathing problems, especially for kids and older adults. Other towns are also taking big steps with solar energy, such as Becker, Minnesota, where Xcel Energy built a major solar farm on defunct coal mine land, and Batesville, Arkansas, whose school district installed nearly 1,500 solar panels and is cutting costs while reducing pollution.
Gresham hopes Dowell's step forward sparks interest from locals. One idea? A community solar program. That means installing a field of solar panels that people can subscribe to, which is especially useful for those who don't want panels on their homes.
"A lot of people don't want it on their roof or don't want it in their yard, so if we put a field up somewhere in town, it could help the community," Gresham said, per The Southern Illinoisan.
Installing solar panels is the ultimate home energy hack. They can bring your energy costs down to near zero. EnergySage offers a free service that lets you compare quotes from trusted local installers and can help you save up to $10,000 on solar installations.
Regarding Dowell's decision to take the leap, The Southern Illinoisan quoted Gresham as saying: "We want to help the most people that we can. We want the town to thrive, so we have to be able to offer them a reason to stay."
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