Pivot Energy seeks to amend two Lee County community-solar permits and rescind a third after utility refused interconnection

At a Lee County zoning hearing, Pivot Energy asked the zoning hearing officer to amend two previously approved community-solar special uses (PEIL 2 58 and PEIL 2 59) and to rescind a third permit (PEIL 2 60) after the utility declined that project’s interconnection.

Merrill Reed, senior manager of project development at Pivot Energy, said ComEd accepted PEIL 2 58 and PEIL 2 59 but "declined PEIL 2 60 because of capacity issues," and so Pivot "are looking to amend the projects that were accepted by ComEd and rescind the permit for 2 60, which was denied." Reed told the hearing the amendments add battery storage to PEIL 2 58, increase DC sizing while maintaining previously permitted AC ratings, and modify site footprints.

Why it matters: The changes would shift equipment and storage capacity within a previously approved 85-acre lease area, alter the acreage devoted to each array and add on-site battery systems that store daytime generation for peak use. Neighbors asked technical questions at the hearing about noise, glare and setbacks; the county administrator and the applicant said permit conditions and additional screening are intended to address those concerns.

Key changes and technical details cited by Pivot Energy included increasing PEIL 2 58 to about 24.02 acres and PEIL 2 59 to about 29.98 acres (54 acres total), an annual generation figure cited around 9,850 MWh/year, and a revision of module counts across the development from roughly 29,100 to about 27,050. Reed said each of the two revised projects would include 63 lithium iron phosphate batteries, each providing approximately four hours of storage and housed in two to five cabinets depending on the commercial configuration. Reed described the batteries as placed on a concrete pad near the parcel center "to be as far away as possible from any neighbors."

Alice Hinkle, Lee County zoning administrator, said the parcels are zoned agricultural and that Illinois’ 2023 siting standards for wind and solar deem agricultural or industrial land suitable for such development; "as these parcels are zoned agricultural, I believe the use is in line with what our comprehensive plan allows for," she said.

The hearing officer questioned technical documentation: Reed said the updated glare study was prepared with Forge Solar using 18 observation points and that the Selectra 166 inverter specifications and UL-equivalent certifications for the battery energy-storage system appear in the application binder. Reed acknowledged one application page that mistakenly said inverter counts decreased was a holdover and not correct; she said inverter counts remain as previously proposed. The applicant also told the hearing that the nearest home to the array increased in distance under the new layout from 175 feet to roughly 215 feet and that other nearby setbacks either remained the same or increased.

Community engagement: Reed said Pivot has distributed seven screening-stipend offers and two neighbors had executed agreements; the company said it is negotiating with others and may move minor panel arrays to increase separation from the nearest houses. Pivot stated total community contributions to local organizations would be $40,000.

Process and next steps: No vote was taken at the hearing. The hearing officer adjourned the session and said he would take the matter under advisement and issue a findings-of-fact report with recommendations to the Lee County Board before statutory December deadlines. Alice Hinkle noted the next regularly scheduled zoning hearing officer meeting dates and that, as of the agenda, no petitions were pending.

The hearing record includes application binders, publication and posting certificates, interagency notices and a natural-resource report filed by the Lee County Soil and Water Conservation District.