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EDPR NA Distributed Generation LLC has announced the acquisition of a portfolio of four Illinois community solar projects under development from Renewable Properties, LLC.
The 20 MWac portfolio is expected to generate about 42 GWh of solar energy annually, adding to an extensive portfolio of solar energy assets being developed in Illinois and contributing to the continued growth of EDPR NA DG’s current 310 MWp of overall operational capacity across 538 active sites.
“EDPR NA DG is proud to support Illinois’ commitment to clean energy and is grateful to partner with Renewable Properties to contribute to the state’s renewable energy goals,” said Joao Barreto, CEO of EDPR NA Distributed Generation. “Community solar installations bring energy independence and economic empowerment to towns across the country, and this portfolio will help us further support Illinoisans in their transition to a clean energy economy.”
“This portfolio of projects represents some of our first projects in Illinois and is just the beginning of our efforts to bring clean, reliable community solar to the state,” added Aaron Halimi, founder and president of Renewable Properties. “Our mission is to drive energy forward for local communities, so we’re pleased that EDPR NA’s experienced distributed generation team has acquired this Illinois portfolio and will continue to generate local solar power for Illinois and its residents in the coming years.”
EDPR NA DG is the distributed generation arm of EDP Renewables North America LLC, one of the largest renewable energy owners and operators in the United States. Renewable Properties is a community solar developer based in San Francisco that develops, owns, and operates DG solar projects and recently launched a new electric vehicle (EV) fleet charging service to provide a turnkey charging solution for companies with EV fleets. Renewable Properties has more than one gigawatt of solar, energy storage, and EV infrastructure under development across 15 states.
KeyBanc acted as an advisor on the acquisition on behalf of Renewable Properties.
Illinois boasts one of the hottest community solar markets in the country and has grown into the fourth-largest U.S. state for adopting community solar solutions with a target goal to generate 40% of its energy from renewables by 2030, and 50% by 2040. The Illinois community solar marketplace greatly expanded following the passage of the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
In addition to EDPR NA DG’s portfolio of distributed generation solar arrays in the state, EDPR NA has over 1.4 GW of operational utility-scale solar assets and more than 8 GW of operational wind assets. In August of last year, EDPR NA unveiled its Bloomington, IL Technician Training Facility, which trains an average of 100 solar and wind technicians annually.
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Source: Renewable Energy World
