The biggest solar farm east of the Mississippi is now powering Chicago

Swift Current Energy’s 800-megawatt (MW) Double Black Diamond Solar is up and running about 30 miles west of Springfield. It’s now the largest operating solar farm east of the Mississippi, and it’s set to make a serious dent in emissions while delivering clean energy to major customers, including the City of Chicago.

Chicago is sourcing around 70% of the power for its municipal operations from Double Black Diamond. That includes big energy users like O’Hare and Midway airports. Other customers buying power from the solar farm include CVS Health, Loyola University Chicago, PPG, State Farm, TransUnion, and Cook County, all through the energy company Constellation NewEnergy.

This project has been a long time coming – Swift Current started development in 2018 and leaned into a growing US supply chain. The company sourced most of its 1.6 million solar panels from First Solar’s Ohio factories, and the racking came from Nextracker, which used US-made steel and did some of the manufacturing in Chicago. Construction created around 500 jobs.

Double Black Diamond also met Illinois’ Clean and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) standards for labor and hiring, creating job opportunities for a broader group of workers. Over its lifetime, the solar farm is expected to generate $100 million in local tax revenue for Sangamon and Morgan counties. About 60% of that will go toward public schools, with the rest helping fund public safety, infrastructure, and community programs. Swift Current is also putting $10 million into community benefit programs, including school districts and local governments.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called the project “a powerful example of why we believe in the green economy.” He said the solar farm helps Chicago cut emissions, supports good union jobs, and lowers energy costs for city operations.

Read more: Home solar prices just hit record lows – and storage is even cheaper

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