As local communities increasingly push back against large-scale solar arrays on farmland and other open spaces, solar advocates have been searching for places to mount their panels.
This challenge has led to an innovative new project in Illinois that aims to install 60 new solar arrays at an often overlooked location: storage unit roofs.
What happened?
One such solar array — a 763-kilowatt community solar project that started operating in March — sits on top of a Public Storage site in Justice, Illinois, according to Canary Media. The array stands as a model that advocates hope to replicate across the state.
Of the 60 planned rooftop community solar installations, 10 are already online. Solar Landscape, which develops and owns the arrays, said the statewide portfolio would ultimately span 5 million square feet of roofs, total 44 megawatts of capacity, produce $36 million in savings, and support 300 construction jobs, according to Canary Media.
Krzysztof Wasowicz, mayor of Justice, said the setup makes sense for the village because it puts otherwise idle roof space to use.
While Wasowicz has in the past voiced concerns that large solar developments can take over valuable farmland and benefit China, where many solar panels are manufactured, he has enthusiastically supported using the technology in rooftop solar arrays.
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"This creates more opportunities for people, job creation, and revenue that can be taxed by our state," he said, according to Canary Media. "This is going to be an excellent addition to this village."
The rooftop commercial installations also fit into Illinois' rapidly expanding community solar market, in which households, businesses, and organizations subscribe to a shared project that allows them to reduce their electricity bills.
Why does it matter?
By using shared rooftop arrays, community solar can open a path to clean energy for people who, for one reason or another, do not have panels on their own homes.
That can be especially important for renters, condo residents, and homeowners whose roofs are shaded, too small, or otherwise unsuitable for solar.
The approach also helps address one of the major tensions in the transition to renewable power: how to add more electricity generation without taking up open land.
In Illinois, much of the state's community solar has been built on rural parcels or industrial brownfields. Expanding onto commercial rooftops could help preserve farmland while still increasing the supply of affordable clean electricity.
According to Canary Media, federal data reviewed by Lumen Energy indicates that commercial, industrial, and school rooftops across the United States could support enough panels to generate 581 gigawatts of power — almost enough to meet the entire nation's full electricity demand.
What's being done?
Illinois already has one of the strongest community solar markets in the country, with more installed capacity than even California, the nation's most populous state, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
State policy has helped fuel that growth by offering incentives for community solar, and a recently passed energy law expanded those incentives to larger projects.
Meanwhile, utilities and developers are also putting more focus on large-scale rooftop solar installations.
Paul Kovacs, ComEd's project execution manager for distributed energy resources, said rooftops are becoming a bigger priority for community solar in the Chicago area.
By subscribing to a community solar project, residents can support the transition to renewable sources of power while also lowering their monthly electric bills, all without paying to purchase and install their own panels.
As developers and property owners seek new ways to derive greater value from large commercial properties, more and more buildings could begin incorporating rooftop solar arrays.
With commercial properties, solar installers are able to avoid many of the challenges associated with residential installations while also operating on a much larger scale.
As Mark Schottinger, Solar Landscape's president and chief legal officer, put it, "The beauty of commercial-industrial real estate is the speed and scalability."
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