Photo by ForeFront Power
Gary Urwiler, Executive Director at Mooseheart Child City & School – a residential childcare facility just north of Aurora – was skeptical of solar energy, but he remained open-minded and curious about the benefits. After learning about grant opportunities available, and conversations with Progressive Business Solutions, Mooseheart saw the clear value and applied for a grant to help install a solar field on their land.
“We used to budget about $440,000 each year for electricity costs,” said Gary. “Now our annual budget is down to about $200,000. This would never have been possible without solar power, and I’m proud to be able to witness the incredible impact that this project has had on both the environment and on our year-over-year energy consumption costs.”
What would have been around a $4 million project became more affordable after Mooseheart received the grant and Forefront Power came on board to help make this concept a reality. Under a Power Purchase Agreement model, Forefront Power agreed to design, finance, and install the project for a 25-year term. SolAmerica served as Forefront Power’s engineering, procurement, and construction provider, and with the added partnership of Progressive Business Solutions, Mooseheart began officially working through the implementation of sourcing and installing a solar field.
“This is such an exciting time to go solar and join the clean energy movement,” said Lesley McCain, Executive Director of the Illinois Solar Energy Association. “We’re very glad to see that Mooseheart is eager to be a leader in this movement and to be a part of helping the environment.”
Now one of the largest “behind the meter”—a system that generates and stores electricity on the customer's side of the utility meter—solar installations in Kane County, Mooseheart’s field is located on an 8.7-acre property. The 2.8 MW solar system accounts for around 66% of the facility’s annual energy consumption.
Now, four years after being energized, Mooseheart has exceeded their annual returns on the project. They are looking forward to the future—running on 100% clean energy is their ultimate goal.
“We want to do more,” Gary said. “It’s exciting to look at all of our options and next steps as we move closer to our goal of one day operating solely on clean energy.”
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