An Illinois Department of Transportation maintenance yard in East St. Louis will soon be powered by solar energy.
This is a step toward the state’s goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
IDOT, in partnership with the Capital Development Board and the University of Illinois, will install solar panels on an empty plot of land in Lebanon owned by IDOT. Construction on the site started earlier this year.
The panels will power the HVAC and air compressors at the Scott Dome Yard maintenance facility along Interstate 64. In the winter, they will also help warm up snowplows, Illinois Secretary of Transportation Gia Biagi said.
Biagi said the department owns unused land that could house more solar panels.
“We have a lot of excess land,” Biagi said. “So the question is, how do we put it to a better purpose that also saves the taxpayers' money?”
This first-of-its-kind pilot project could help Illinois taxpayers by reducing electricity costs.
Assistant House Majority Leader Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, said the project could be replicated throughout the state.
“Once we prove this will work, once we prove it's going to save money for the state, I'm hopeful that we'll take (it to) all of the other yards with the land being available,” Hoffman said.
This is part of the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan, an initiative to improve Illinois' infrastructure.
Assistant House Majority Leader Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, said the solar installation is proof of the results of Rebuild Illinois.
“My colleagues and I in the House and the Senate hear a common complaint that the government never does anything,” Stuart said. “I think this is living proof that we do.”
The project cost $617,700. Construction will be completed in 30 to 60 days.
Todd Rusk, associate director for the University of Illinois EnergySense Resilience Center, helped IDOT select sites to install solar panels.
“We need to do more projects like this,” Rusk said. “We're seeing rising electricity prices. We're seeing a surge in demand from data centers and other sectors, and projects like this can help to offset those kinds of challenges.”
