Sol Systems has completed construction of the 342 MW-dc Eldorado Solar project in southeast Illinois, its largest project to date.
The project was built in partnership with advanced solar tracking systems supplier, Nextracker; SOLV Energy provided contractor services.
Eldorado’s operation launches long-term partnerships with the American Farmland Trust (AFT) which will pair utility-scale solar with row-crop agriculture, developed by Kansas-based non-profit The Land Institute. It will also begin a long-term community benefits program with funding commitments to the Eldorado High School, Food Works of Southern Illinois, and other local community organizations.
The partnership with AFT will create a research-driven agrivoltaics program that will plant Kernza®, a perennial grain, underneath a section of the solar project. The effort marks the first row-crop agrivoltaics project at this scale in the U.S.
The agrivoltaics program is designed to establish pollinator habitat at scale to support biodiversity and crop productivity, as well as improve soil health with native and perennial plantings.
“Developing energy infrastructure with impact is our north star,” said Yuri Horwitz, CEO of Sol Systems, in a statement. “Eldorado shows what that vision looks like in practice: delivering reliable clean power, forging durable community partnerships, and now proving that agrivoltaics can move from concept to crops. From day one, Nextracker and SOLV leaned in to help us make this innovation real. Together, we’re building a replicable model for how utility-scale solar, agriculture, and education don’t just coexist – they thrive side by side.”
The first Kernza® plantings are slated for Fall 2025.
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