Solar Energy

The new solar facility in mid-Missouri would be built next to the Callaway nuclear plant. Ameren has requested approval for the project from Missouri’s Public Service Commission.

Construction on the project will be completed in 30 to 60 days. The solar panels will power the Scott Dome Yard maintenance facility in East St. Louis.

Farmers, nonprofits and state agencies received almost $3 billion in grants from the Inflation Reduction Act in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. But recent federal funding freezes have recipients concerned they won’t end up receiving money.

EarthDance Organic farm used a federal program to help pay for a solar array that now provides 87% of the power they need to teach classes and grow vegetables

Together, the three new solar facilities can produce 500 megawatts of renewable energy. They are the energy companies largest solar effort to date.

Two years ago, Ameren finished the first solar farm in East St. Louis. Company leaders hope the second facility’s completion will spark similar investments.

The utility company anticipates the New Florence solar facility will begin serving customers in 2026. The 7-megawatt power station gets Ameren closer to a goal of “net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.”

Destination Discovery will feature new animal habitats and interactive play. It is being built with sustainable design practices.

The Buder and Julia Davis libraries in St. Louis each has 156 rooftop solar panels that also reduce carbon emissions.

The Cass County Renewable Energy Center will double the size of a program that allows large businesses to pay for renewable energy.