DuPage County updates campus solar and EV plans; federal guidance delay pauses some work

County sustainability staff updated the DuPage County Environmental Committee on campus solar and electric-vehicle (EV) charging projects, and on related federal grants.

Staff reported the south rooftop solar array at 421 South has been operational since October and is roughly a 64-kilowatt system. Staff said live generation figures for the system are available on the county’s campus sustainability web page and noted the array is outperforming manufacturer test expectations in winter conditions. "On a gorgeous sunny day, an average gorgeous sunny day in January ... our solar panels can actually beat the manufacturer's efficiency rating," the presenter said.

Staff described two grant awards financing parts of the program: a roughly $500,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (awarded in 2023 by the U.S. Department of Energy) that included finishing rooftop solar, courthouse EV charging, a workforce-gap analysis and a tunnel LED retrofit; and a Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant (part of larger FHWA-funded awards) for which the county’s share was $350,000 toward public and fleet charging projects. The larger FHWA partnership applied with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus for about $14.5 million in community charging; DuPage’s portion was $350,000, staff said.

Planned installations discussed included two dual-port Level 2 chargers at the courthouse (additional wiring and installer work required), public Level 2 at Animal Services with conduit installed for future fleet chargers, a Level 3 fast charger at the care center with concrete and bollards in place, and an additional made-ready public spot at the Administration Building. Staff said some work is paused while the county awaits final federal guidance and noted the challenge of finding qualified installers who can meet federal grant and Buy America requirements.

Staff also told the committee the county passed an ordinance last year setting a charging fee of 20¢ per kilowatt-hour to help recover infrastructure, maintenance and electricity costs over ten years. Committee members asked how payments will be accepted; staff said credit-card tap, mobile app (e.g., ChargePoint), Apple Pay and a toll-free phone number would be available.

Staff discussed utility incentives as well: ComEd’s make-ready rebate program could provide significant rebates per charging port and added complexity to procurement. Clark Dietz completed design documents for the rooftop solar additions, and staff said the county has allocated more than $200,000 from the DOE block grant toward the solar installation and that an RFP is being prepared.

No formal committee action was taken; staff asked the committee to note the updates and to consider whether to proceed if federal funding does not arrive. A committee member said some projects (lighting retrofit at the county power plant) have attractive payback periods — staff cited a 14-month payback for that retrofit and approximately an eight-year payback horizon for solar investments.

The committee did not decide to move forward with construction in the absence of federal funding at the meeting; staff said they will wait for grant guidance and return with recommended next steps.