A massive solar project is coming to life in southern Illinois.
The Double Black Diamond Solar farm will cover a huge area and make lots of electricity. When it’s done, it will be the biggest solar farm east of the Mississippi River.
This solar farm will be really powerful. It can make 800 megawatts of electricity. That’s enough to power about 100,000 homes every year. It will also help the environment by cutting down on carbon dioxide. The farm could reduce emissions by about a million tons each year.
Some big places in Illinois will use the clean energy from this solar farm:
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport
- Loyola University Chicago
The project is good for the local area too. It will bring in $100 million in taxes. It’s also creating hundreds of jobs for people who live nearby.
Swift Current Energy is the company building the solar farm. They think it’s a big deal for a few reasons:
- It gives jobs to American workers
- It makes a lot of clean energy
- It brings money to towns in Sangamon and Morgan counties
The builders want to have the solar farm up and running by early 2025. That’s not too far away!
This project shows that solar power is growing in the United States. It’s not just for sunny states anymore. Illinois is proving that solar can work well in other parts of the country too.
Here are some facts about solar power in the U.S.:
- The government gives tax credits to help people go solar
- There are now over 5 million solar installations
- Big solar farms are in states like Nevada and California
