Under the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), Ameren Illinois was permitted to construct and operate solar generation assets in select equity-eligible communities. Along with facilities in East St. Louis, the Peoria Energy Center is just the third generating facility developed by Ameren Illinois in 28 years.
"At a time when electricity prices are rising nationwide due to increased demand and supply constraints, projects like this one can help reduce local energy costs by bringing much needed power to the grid," said Patrick Smith, Chairman and President of Ameren Illinois. "We're pleased to demonstrate to state policy makers and our customers that Ameren Illinois can build it better, stronger, and faster."
The site features a 1.5MW/4MWh MG series battery energy storage system from ELM MicroGrid, whose business operations are headquartered in Peoria. The system stores excess solar energy generated during periods of peak production and makes that energy available to the grid during periods of peak demand.
"By integrating battery storage with solar generation, the Peoria Solar Energy Center is better managing energy production which supports grid stability and maximizes the benefits of renewable resources," said Aron Bowman, president, ELM MicroGrid. “This project is especially meaningful to our team because we had the opportunity to work with Azimuth Energy and Ameren Illinois to bring this technology home to Peoria, where ELM’s story began.”
Other project partners include Zeller Electric in Goodfield, Guarantee Electric, and Terra5. More than 50 construction jobs were created during construction of the $20 million facility.
Completion of the Peoria Solar Energy Center continues Ameren Illinois' commitment to powering a stronger regional economy and strengthening the electric grid. Over the past seven years, the company has invested $112.4 million to improve reliability in the Peoria metro area, including upgrades to high-voltage transmission infrastructure, new substations, and technologies that help detect outages and restore power faster.
