Generate Capital and TurningPoint Energy (TPE) recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a 3.5-megawatt (MWac) community solar project in Sandwich, Illinois.
It is one of the first community solar projects in Kendall County built through Illinois Shines, formerly the Adjustable Block Program. Generate financed, built, owns, and operates the project; TPE handled development.
TPE also developed two community solar projects on a reclaimed coal mine site in Minonk, Illinois, which Nexamp built and operates.
The array covers about 23 acres, with single-axis trackers and bifacial modules, and is expected to produce more than 8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity each year.
Construction wrapped up in mid-2026 using prevailing-wage labor. The project now serves 90 local subscribers, including residents and small businesses, who receive utility bill savings without installing panels of their own.
“As more renewable energy resources connect to the electric grid, community solar is playing an important role in expanding customer choice and strengthening Illinois’ clean energy economy,” said Jie Chu, Vice President of Project & Contracts for ComEd, in a statement. “ComEd is pleased to support projects like this one that bring local investment, clean energy and bill-saving opportunities to the communities we serve.”
Sheep grazing handles vegetation on the site, and native flowering plants support pollinators. The project is one of eight in a 34.5 MWac Illinois portfolio from the same partners, which is projected to save subscribers nearly $70 million in electricity costs over its operating life.
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