JERSEYVILLE – A 20 acre solar farm is set to be built along State Highway 16 near Jerseyville.
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Jerseyville City Council members unanimously approved a series of resolutions authorizing the annexation and rezoning of the property, as well as a special use permit to operate a commercial solar energy facility at the site.
The property, which sits just outside the eastern Jerseyville city boundary in unincorporated Jersey County, will be annexed into the city. The solar farm is expected to occupy 20 acres of the 25 acre land parcel, which will be rezoned from “Unclassified” to “M2 – General Manufacturing District.”
Paul Irby with Dimension Energy and Attorney Nick Standiford with Schain Banks gave a presentation to council members before the items came up for a vote, detailing the scope of the project and its alleged benefits to the city.
Irby said the project will lead to discounted electricity rates for local residents and businesses, including current Ameren customers, who subscribe as part of the Illinois Shines Community Solar Program. The program carries no income or property ownership requirements to participate.
The Community Solar Program lets residents and businesses subscribe for electricity bill reductions of 10% or more with no need to install solar panels on their home or business. Instead, subscribers would benefit from energy bill credits generated by the off-site solar farm.
With a capacity of 3.75 megawatts, Dimension estimates the project will produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 800 homes. Dimension will also fund substation upgrades to ensure the project can connect to and be supported by the local power grid.
Utilizing a three-phase power line along State Highway 16, Irby said electricity generated by the solar farm will be routed into local homes through existing infrastructure.
“We’re tapping right into that local distribution line, so all the electricity that’s produced by the project is going straight into the same lines that everybody is connected to in their homes,” Irby said.
With the property annexed into the city, the project is expected to generate $531,026 in tax revenue over the 30-year lifetime of the project – an estimated 721% increase compared to its existing status as unclassified land.
As part of the annexation agreement, Dimension has also agreed to contribute $650,000 into a public fund city officials can use for improvement projects across Jerseyville. Mayor Kevin Stork said the funding will be used to offset the cost of future Parks and Recreation projects.
The official land purchase, pre-construction planning, and utility coordination for the site will take place later this year. Construction of the solar farm is expected to start next year in 2027. If all goes according to schedule, the project could be completed and operational by the fourth quarter of 2027.
