Crete advances solar farm project, one of at least 5 planned in Will County

Crete officials have annexed land and approved a special use permit for a proposed solar farm.

The Falconhead Solar farm is one of at least five solar farms planned or underway in Will County.

The property brought into Crete, with annexation approved at Monday’s Village Board meeting, is north of West Old Monee Road and east of South Sangamon Street.

The board also approved a special use permit to allow the development, which had been in the works since at least last summer.

The site itself is about 70 acres and the solar plant would be built on just under 50 acres. The property had previously been used for farming.

According to the developer, the project is expected to generate about $50,000 a year in tax revenue, which will be divided between school districts, the fire department and village.

The company will enter an interconnection agreement with ComEd, with the solar farm selling the energy it creates to the utility.

The solar power plant would be leased on property for 20 years, and produce 5 megawatts of electricity, according to plans.

Crete’s approval of the Falconhead project comes as Will County has advanced plans for at least four other solar farms in the county.

In January, the County Board approved two solar energy facilities in Monee Township, each of which will be operated by Nexamp Inc. and will be on each side of South Will Center Road.

Nexamp has proposed a 5-megawatt solar farm on about 44.26 acres of land at 26845 S. Will Center Road in Monee, about 0.2 miles from South Will Center Road and West Pauling Road.

The company has also proposed a 2-megawatt solar farm to be built on about 19 acres of a 29.26-acre parcel of land on the northwest corner of South Will Center Road and West Pauling Road.

Last October, the County Board voted to approve two solar farms near Crete and Monee.

Turning Point Energy is proposing two solar facilities on agriculturally zoned land in unincorporated Will County.

A 5 megawatt commercial solar facility will be built on about 47 acres on South Will Center Road, about a half-mile north of Pauling Road in Monee Township, and a 4-megawatt commercial solar facility is planned for about 51 acres on Torrence Avenue just south of Steger Road in Crete Township, according to plans.

The commercial solar facility in Monee Township is expected to generate energy to power the equivalent of 1,360 homes, while the facility in Crete Township will power the equivalent of 1,088 homes, according to the developer.

In September 2023, a Chicago company that proposed a solar power plant near Frankfort pulled its application after residents expressed concerns about potential pollution and the effect on their property values.

The application by Surya Powered was up for review by the Will County Land Use and Development Committee and had been recommended for approval by county staff.

The 5 megawatt plant was proposed on a 77-acre site at 24890 W. Center Road, in Green Gardens Township, about a quarter- mile north of Monee-Manhattan Road. There are homes on the north and west sides of the property, according to Surya’s application and staff report.

County planning and zoning staff found the project would not be detrimental to or endanger the public’s health or safety.

Several Will County board members have, as solar projects come up for votes, said they are constrained by a state law that takes authority to regulate solar and wind projects out of the hands of county government.

State law that went into effect January 2023 defines the parameters in which county governments can review commercial solar energy projects.

The law states counties cannot have more restrictive standards than the state when regulating solar and wind energy facilities and that if the solar energy facility meets all the state requirements, the county should approve it.