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Developers present Mildred Solar B to McHenry council; several members signal opposition to site
Summary
One Energy presented a 5 MW, ~30-acre community solar proposal (Mildred Solar B) and described COMED interconnection, a 30-day subscription exclusivity for McHenry residents and a $1 million estimated tax benefit over 40 years; multiple council members said they support solar but not the proposed location.
One Energy representatives presented a conceptual plan for Mildred Solar B, a proposed 5‑megawatt community solar array sited on roughly 30 acres within the city of McHenry.
“Tori Day, an associate on our project development team at One Energy,” told the council the new location is a re‑site of a previous application and that COMED has given a positive indication that the project could interconnect at that location. She said the nearest residence is about 750 feet from the array and that the project would plant native pollinator species, use single‑axis tracking panels and be subject to an Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement (AMA) that would include a decommissioning bond. “Solar projects are temporary land uses… the solar project would be in the ground for about 40 years,” Day said.
Day described community benefits the company proposes, including a 30‑day period of subscription exclusivity for McHenry residents under the Illinois community solar program and an estimate that the project would generate about $1 million for the city and other taxing bodies over its operational life. She also said the company would fund underground interconnection line work to Curran Road and would submit an operations and maintenance plan and a paved apron for the access road.
Council members pressed the presenters on revenue calculations, construction timelines (the presenter said roughly four to six months for construction), the mechanics and review schedule of decommissioning bonds (a third‑party engineer sets the bond amount and it is re‑evaluated periodically), subscription allocation and how grazing or vegetation management would be handled (local grazers would rotate sheep through the site; animals would not live on site).
Although multiple council members expressed support for community solar in principle, several—citing the city’s updated ordinance and future residential expansion—said the proposed site was not appropriate: Alderwoman Bassie, Alderwoman Miller and others said land south of Bull Valley Road in an industrial zone is the preferable location. The council did not take a permit vote but a majority signaled they would not support the project at the proposed site without relocation or further changes.
The project team thanked the council and indicated they would pursue conditional‑use permitting if the city indicated support for the site or for a resiting process.
