An 87.53MW community solar project cutting across three states in the Midwest and Northeast of the US has begun construction thanks to the collaboration of storage company Public Storage and solar energy provider Solar Landscape. The US-based companies revealed that the project would include 133 separate solar installations, including 44 sites in Illinois, 57 in Maryland, and 32 in New Jersey.
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While low- and moderate-income households are the project’s main target audience, the companies said that there might potentially be “additional savings” for them. Public Storage pointed out that it anticipates the initiatives will save Maryland citizens close to US$1 million in annual energy costs.
Who can sign up for the Public Storage and Solar Landscape energy
Residents of these states will be able to sign up for discounted power provided by solar panels installed on Public Storage buildings close to their houses, forming local communities of people getting energy from the same clean source.
According to Public Storage’s president of asset management, John Sambuco, “Community solar strengthens Public Storage’s strong commitments to sustainability and our area. We are reducing our collective carbon footprint on the environment, providing affordable renewable energy for low- and moderate-income residents, and converting unused rooftop space into socioeconomically productive space for our company.”
Having already collaborated with businesses outside the solar industry, such as the construction of a 556kW rooftop solar facility atop a warehouse owned by Principal Asset Management, Solar Landscape will apply the same ownership structure and goals to the Public Storage project.
Illinois Shines initiative supported solar projects
21 projects that totals 13.2 MW in capacity have already received support from the Illinois Shines initiative, and these projects are also part of the new Public Storage-Solar Landscape portfolio. In order to help Illinois reach its goal of gaining all of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2050, the project will also work in tandem with the Illinois Shines programme, a state government push to promote home solar development.
