East St. Louis Community Solar Project

Powering a New Future for East St. Louis

The East St. Louis Community Solar Project is being developed through a collaborative partnership between city leadership, community and faith-based organizations, renewable energy developers, and Black-owned engineering firms, creating a new model for economic empowerment, energy affordability, and long-term public ownership.

Edelen Renewables Social Impact Solar
City of East St. Louis seal
Renewable Energy Evolution

About the Project

  • The project is designed to directly benefit residents and the City of East St. Louis through meaningful energy savings and long-term economic returns.
  • This community solar model prioritizes local impact, delivering immediate affordability while building toward future public ownership.
  • The system will provide clean, reliable energy while reducing energy costs for thousands of households across the community.
  • The project includes all necessary infrastructure, including solar arrays and supporting systems, to ensure long-term performance and sustainability.
  • Beyond energy production, the initiative is structured to create lasting financial benefits for both the City and its residents.
Solar construction site Community solar site map

Benefits of a Solar Project

A New Standard for Community Solar

This project represents a shift in how energy infrastructure can serve a community. By combining clean energy generation with an intentional financial model, the East St. Louis Community Solar Project delivers both immediate and long-term value, lowering energy costs today while building a foundation for economic independence tomorrow.

Solar energy provides a stable, predictable power source that helps protect against rising utility costs, while also contributing to a more sustainable and resilient energy future.

Aerial view of East St. Louis project area East St. Louis residents and family

Benefits to the City

The project creates significant and sustained financial impact for East St. Louis:

  • $1.4 million cash infusion to the City by the time the system is operational
  • Over $700,000 in combined annual savings and revenue
  • More than $12 million in total financial benefit over the first 15 years

These resources can be reinvested into critical services, infrastructure, and community development, strengthening the City’s financial position for years to come.

Benefits to Residents

This project is designed to directly impact thousands of households across East St. Louis:

  • Free energy supply averaging $1,000 per year for more than 2,000 households
  • 50% discounted energy, averaging $800 per year for an additional 1,000 households
  • Over $45 million in total economic benefit to residents over 15 years

By reducing energy costs at scale, the project helps families keep more of what they earn, supporting financial stability across the community.

Environmental Benefits

  • The combined output of the three arrays is over 28,000 megawatt hours of electricity projected for Year 1.
  • This is equivalent to the average annual electricity used in over 3,000 homes.
  • About 28M lbs of coal not burned, equal to roughly 138 railcars, or 2.8M gallons of gas, about 330 tanker trucks.
  • It’s also equivalent to the carbon sequestered by about 25,000 acres of U.S. forests in a year.

A Path to Energy Sovereignty

This project is built with a long-term vision: community ownership.

Within seven years, the system transitions to community ownership, allowing the City and its residents to receive 100% of the financial benefits generated by the project.

Even after the initial 15-year program, the system will continue delivering value for another 15 years, ensuring lasting impact and generational economic opportunity.

Contact Us

We value our neighbors and welcome your questions.

If you’re interested in employment opportunities and/or are a resident of East St. Louis and would like to learn more about program benefits contact:

info@edelenrenewables.com