Million solar roofs for free#

Hilco’s project website says the Little Village warehouse has “a roof that accommodates solar panels.” Hilco, the logistics company that owns the former sites of Chicago’s two coal plants and other complexes nationwide, did not respond to requests for comment. In Illinois, solar developers, industry leaders, and state officials said they were not aware of any data on solar on warehouses, and they don’t believe it is widespread.ĬenterPoint Properties, a major developer of logistics complexes in Illinois and nationwide, declined to comment on whether they have solar on warehouses or any plans to do so. for corporate on-site solar capacity, with more than 200 megawatts, and more than 400 MW worldwide. For example, the logistics giant Prologis currently ranks second in the U.S. Some warehousing companies are adopting solar.

has been growing fast, especially during the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 626 million square feet of warehouse space under construction in the first half of 2022,” the report notes. Meanwhile, “the number of warehouses in the U.S. It concluded that, nationally, warehouses built before 2019 have the potential to generate 185.6 terawatt-hours of solar electricity each year, enough to power almost 19.4 million average homes.

Million solar roofs for free#

Sign up for free to get the latest delivered straight to your inbox.Įnvironment America’s report drew from data the National Renewable Energy Laboratory modeled in its 2019 City and County Commercial Building Inventories. Get connectedĮvery morning, thousands of energy professionals turn to our newsletters for the day’s most important news. The report also comes amid growing tension nationally over land use for renewables, with concerns about wind and solar projects cutting into agricultural land and natural spaces. Illinois is among the top five states for potential warehouse solar capacity however, even with the state’s robust solar incentives, barriers remain and few projects have been attempted so far. Those numbers come from a recent Environment America Research and Policy Center report, which used federal data to estimate warehouse rooftop space suitable for solar in each state. Illinois has the potential to generate nearly 10,000 gigawatt-hours of solar power annually on warehouse rooftops - enough to power more than 1.1 million homes. Acres and acres of flat, sunny warehouse rooftops could be an untapped resource in Illinois’ transition to 100% clean energy, a recent study highlights.