An unlikely player is entering the community solar market in Illinois.
Coffee favorite Starbucks, in conjunction with Nexamp, has committed to anchor six solar farms in the state, Electrek reported. They will produce 40 megawatts, enabling 1,100 ComEd and Ameren customers to reap the benefits of clean energy.
"Community solar is a perfect way for retailers to make progress on their own sustainability goals while also playing a role in the build-out of renewable energy resources that have the ability to directly benefit their own customers," Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai said in a news release.
"That was the case with Starbucks, which shares our vision of equitable access to community members. Climate change is one of the most important issues of the day and we can only make meaningful progress on decarbonization when companies come together to develop impactful, inclusive solutions."
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The farms are under construction and will be operational by 2025. The companies stated they would like to continue to work together on similar projects across the country.
This is not Starbucks' first foray into community solar. In 2021, it partnered with Generate on up to 23 projects in New York. When it began, that venture contributed 24 MW of a potential 90 MW to the grid to power 24,000 homes and offset 70% of Starbucks' electricity usage in the state.
This latest project is touted as a job generator and workforce developer. Other partners include City Colleges of Chicago, the Chicago Urban League, Uplift Community High School, 22C, and more organizations aligned with the Future Energy Jobs Act. Starbucks will get some of the renewable energy credits.
"Starbucks is committed to our environmental promise to give more than we take, and we have a long history of renewable energy projects that bring clean energy to more communities," Starbucks Chief Sustainability Officer Michael Kobori said. "We're proud to support Nexamp's efforts to bring community solar into areas where it can have the most impact and make savings opportunities available to community members."
Community solar expands access to cheap, renewable energy by providing customers with credits on their electricity bills. To join the movement, check out this explainer and get started.
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