East Saint Louis welcomes second solar energy facility providing 650 homes with power
Ameren Illinois’ solar Facility II now open
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (First Alert 4) - Solar energy is often discussed alongside clean energy development -- and East Saint Louis is now home to two solar facilities adding power to the grid.
Ameren Illinois hosted a ribbon-cutting Tuesday morning where they highlighted the impacts this facility will have. Located on a lot locals say was once populated by abandoned houses, Ameren says the facility will produce and store energy for 650 homes in the community.
Over $6 million was spent in hiring local contractors to Southern Illinois, from a variety of backgrounds. The facility itself is located near the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center on N. 18th St.
“... the East St. Louis Energy Center II features over 3,000 solar s and batteries designed to store energy for use during peak demand periods,” Ameren Illinois stated in their documents for the opening.
Over 120 local folks worked on the project including work from Azimuth Energy in Fenton, Mason Landscaping of East St. Louis, Terra 5 Construction in St. Jacob; and Guarantee Electrical of Granite City.
In a statement, St. Clair County Board Chair Mark Kern said this is only the start of “many investments in clean energy in St. Clair County.”
In 2021, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which put Illinois on a journey to reach 100% clean energy by 2050, and a renewable energy goal of 50% by 2040.
Ameren Illinois says their Facility II has a demonstration charging station for electric vehicles -- which right now is restricted to use only for Ameren employees -- not the general public.
Ameren and other local officials at the ribbon-cutting said they plan to work with local schools to educate children on the future of energy.
Avery Martinez covers water, ag & the environment for First Alert 4. He is also a Report for America corps member. RFA places talented, emerging journalists in newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.
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