Sangamon County is now home to the largest solar power development east of the Mississippi River.
On April 30, Swift Current Energy, a Boston-based firm, held a ribbon-cutting at its Auburn office for the Double Black Diamond solar farm.
The collection of solar panels was erected on more than 4,000 acres in western Sangamon County and eastern Morgan County
“Construction was completed Dec. 31, 2024, after over two-and-a-half years of construction,” said Ryan McCrady, president of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance. “It's important for our community for a number of reasons. It helps diversify the portfolio of energy assets that we have across the county having solar or renewable energy available. It's important to businesses that hope to access that kind of energy to meet many of their goals that are important to them and their shareholders.
“Also, the job was constructed using local labor. Five hundred construction jobs were created during the construction lifetime of the project,” he said.
The farm generates 800 megawatts, which is enough power to supply more than 100,000 homes. Previously, the land was used to grow corn and soybeans.
The congressional district of U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, encompasses the Double Black Diamond solar farm but she is one of the most outspoken critics of solar power in Congress.
Last month, in a speech in the House of Representatives, she said, “As a family farmer, I am very concerned with America's prime farmland being covered with taxpayer-subsidized solar-panel installations. Food security is national security, and if we cover our farm ground with Chinese solar panels, we will become dependent on foreign adversaries for food.”
Miller also expressed concerns about potential health hazards.
“According to the EPA, solar panels contain hazardous waste that can be harmful to human health. That is why we should be alarmed by the increasing number of solar panels being installed on our most fertile farmland, especially when the federal government is handing out tax credits for it,” she said.
Solar power is increasingly being embraced as an alternative to fossil fuels, which scientists contend is linked to climate change. However, many far-right Republicans reject the research on climate change, including Miller.
In an interview last month with podcaster Amanda Radke, Miller said, “It's a sham. The whole climate change is a sham. First of all, God controls the climate because he controls the sun, and the sun controls the weather primarily.”
Miller’s office did not respond to a request from Illinois Times for clarification on her position.
McCrady noted that agriculture is facing challenges because it is producing too much – not too little.
“I'm proud to live in the country that represents personal property rights,” he said. “These renewable projects are not eminent domain projects. So, absent a willing and participating landowner, they just don't happen. … The profitability of traditional grain farming is challenged right now. And individuals who own land, I believe, should have a right to seek other models for extracting the value out of that land. Preserving farming in our country is important. But I think it's also safe to say that we produce more of the product than we can consume here.”
About 70% of agricultural land in Illinois is leased by farmers.
Creating alternative uses for farmland gives more options for landowners but places pressure on tenant farmers, said Bill Bodine, director of business and regulatory affairs for the Illinois Farm Bureau.
“For some farmers, it's a challenge, because they need access to land in order to continue their business, to make a profit, to support their families. Sometimes there can be concerns with conversion of farmland simply because it's a competing use.”
He said the Farm Bureau does not take a stand on individual projects such as Double Black Diamond. While the organization prefers to see marginal farmland used rather than prime farmland to host solar developments, ultimately it supports the right of landowners to determine the best use of their property, he said.
Sangamon County Board Chair Andy VanMeter called the project consequential for several reasons.
“It means $1 million dollars of tax revenue in the first year for the taxing bodies in this area,” he said. “About $300,000 of that will go to Sangamon County. About $600,000 will go to the school districts down there. And the balance goes to the other local taxing bodies.
“It also means 18 very high-paying jobs maintaining the facility. And more generally, I hope it means to the larger development community that Sangamon County is open for business and that we're a good place for new businesses to locate.”
The Double Black Diamond project is expected to generate more than $100 million in local property tax revenues during the next 35 years, Van Meter said.
Several Chicago-area entities are sourcing power from the project, including Loyola University, CVS Health and the city of Chicago.
”There's some question as to if the city of Chicago is buying the power, how does it benefit Sangamon County?” McCrady said. “I think this is a really good example of how two communities located a long distance apart in a state that's geographically very large can work together and actually do things that benefit both of them.
“The energy is being purchased up in the Chicago area. However, our folks got to build the project. The energy center exists in our community, so we get the property taxes from it and the ongoing economic benefit of it. The people in Chicago are able to achieve their renewable energy goals that they need. I think it's an example of how we don't have to compete with Chicago to do things that are good for our state's economy,” McCrady said.
