Illinois Solar Tour - Northern Sites
Brookfield
Compassion United Methodist Church Recording from 9/26/20 Live Zoom Tour System: 50 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 15MWh Why I went solar: We believe every house of worship has a moral responsibility to get as much of its energy as possible from renewable energy - solar and wind. When our congregation bought and remodeled an old dry cleaner building as an art gallery/studio and worship space, we were thrilled to be able to donate a PV system that produces, so far, 100% of its electricity. | Deer Park
Peter Gorr Recording from 9/26/20 Live Zoom Tour System: 21 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 8600kWh Why I went solar: This is my second home with a solar PV system. The benefits of pollution free energy, energy independence, and financial gain are just too great to ignore. Over 8 years of data speak for itself. | Carol Stream
Wendy Vernon Recording from 9/26/20 Live Zoom Tour System: 19 roof-mounted panels, backup battery Annual Production: 7829kWh Why I went solar: We installed solar because we wanted to help the environment with clean, renewable energy and also wanted to save money on our electric bills. We also installed a battery backup because we wanted some off grid capability in case of a power outage. We felt like the time was right to install solar because of the availability of the federal and state tax incentives. |
Highland Park
Jay Futterman Recording from 9/26/20 Live Zoom Tour System: 25 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 7400kWh Why I went solar: I am very concerned about climate change. One of the major contributors to this is coal, and I can see train cars full of coal passing through my town. Rather than just getting mad about this, I decided to do something about my own personal contributions to this disaster and power my house and car with the sun. Installed by:
| West Chicago
Mike Bullock Recording from 9/26/20 Live Zoom Tour System: 41 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 11.4MWh Why I went solar: We installed Solar PV to reduce our carbon footprint and because it is the best financial investment we can make in our home. We are on a path to electrify everything and meet our energy needs with the sun. With other efficiency improvements, we expect to meet almost 100% of our electricity needs this year from the sun. This includes driving the Volt and providing heat for the house (except for the coldest days). | Wheaton
Jeff Gahris Recording from 9/26/20 Live Zoom Tour System: 8 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 3700kWh Why I went solar: We were excited to join the clean energy revolution for both financial and environmental reasons. We have enjoyed sharing our solar lifestyle with others who are interested in going solar. |
Woodridge
James and Beth Galbreath Recording from 9/26/20 Live Zoom Tour System: 16 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 5900kWh Why I went solar: We have been passionate about the environment and safe, renewable energy forever! But living in homes we didn't own for 43 years, we focused on energy conservation until retirement. At last owning our own home, we are doing everything we can to cut our carbon footprint and mitigate climate change, for the sake of all creatures who live on God's good earth. The money savings doesn't hurt either. | Arlington Heights
Paul and Diane Culhane System: 11 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 4505kWh Why I went solar: It has always been of interest to us. | Buffalo Grove
Jeff Slepak System: 27 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: Not enough data yet! Why I went solar: To lower our carbon footprint on the planet. Our home is fortunate to have the best azimuth. Though we have many trees in the back yard, we get full sun on the 27 panels in the summer with no tree shade; in the winter, when the sun is lower, the trees have no leaves, and we get plenty of sun then, too. |
Cary
James Chen System: 36 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 14MWh Why I went solar: It is the right thing to do for the environment while making sense financially. | Elizabeth
Joe Ambrosia System: 24 ground-mounted panels Annual Production: ~ 9000kWh Why I went solar: It was both ecologically and financially feasible. The process of installing solar panels was simple. Our installer handled all of the permits, site recommendations, energy assessments and installation. | Elmhurst
Sid Chhabra System: 14 panels, backup battery Annual Production: 4349kWh Why I went solar: I have been fascinated by the potential of solar power as a clean energy source for a while. This resulted in the DIY project for solar charged battery backup system. Success of that project, coupled with the federal and state incentives for solar, made it a very easy decision to build the larger grid tied system. |
Evanston
Chuck Carrington System: 26 roof-mounted PV panels, 2 Thermal collectors with 80 gal tank Annual Production: 10.83MWh Why I went solar: For the health of our planet and for future generations. I have long thought it important to do what we can to reduce the use of fossil fuels. My old house had a few thermal panels, but it was too shaded for PV. By the time I bought my present home, I realized that solar PV is a good investment financially also. | Glen Ellyn
Richard Whitney System: 16 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 4000kWh Why I went solar: Concerned about climate change, we made a philosophical choice to live our values and reduce our carbon footprint. I did not believe in 2010 that PV would be purely justifiable on a cost-benefit basis, but felt that everyone must do what they can to reduce their impact on the earth. As it turned out, the move to solar has paid for itself, not even counting any additional increase in home value. | Batavia
Bob Flora System: 74 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 23MWh Why I went solar: We heat our house, heat our water, cook our food, and drive our cars with electricity, so why not use nuclear energy directly from the sun? |
Forest Park
Rob Sall System: 30 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 8000kWh Why I went solar: We are extremely environmentally conscious and wanted to reduce our draw from ComEd. We also installed Tesla batteries as a backup system for the house, so as not to need a generator (and to use solar even when grid is down). | Freeport
Hilary Fiene System: 18 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 7266kWh Why I went solar: I went solar because my husband & I have a passion for renewable energy. We actually own Stateline Solar, the company that installed our solar array & want to continue the spread of renewable energy across Northern Illinois and the surrounding states. In addition to lessening our carbon footprint, the savings alone through affordable solar components and federal & state incentives makes going solar that much easier & financially smart to do while the incentives last. | Grayslake
College of Lake County System: 187 PV panels, with another 1.9 MW planned for installation before the end of 2020. 149 geothermal wells. Why I went solar: The College of Lake County is committed to conserving resources, reducing its carbon footprint and inspiring its students to become innovative problem solvers. The campus hosts a sustainability trail with interpretive signage to help visitors to appreciate innovation in practice. The CLC campus is a living laboratory for sustainability, not just a place to learn but also a place to learn from. |
La Grange
Bertold Kraessig System: 33 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 11MWh Why I went solar: I am an advocate for solar energy for distributed clean power generation and decided to start with my own home. I consider it a smart long-term investment that will pay for itself and produce utility bill savings for at least the 25 years of warrantied production. No waste, no exhausts, no noise---just electricity. Installed by:
| La Grange Park
Jonathan Almer System: 23 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 7000kWh Why I went solar: To provide renewable energy for our home and benefit from the positive long term financials of solar. This is a concrete and substantial investment we were able to make for both ourselves and, most importantly, future generations. | Lena
Dan Dick System: 23 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 8513kWh Why I went solar: My wife and I moved in to a beautiful new two-story house after living in condo/apartments for the last five years. Thinking about our electric usage in the summer months was a bit ominous to us, so we decided to look at solar to help alleviate the cost. We're thrilled to utilize renewable energy to reduce our annual energy cost. The state incentives were also a huge perk. |
Lena
Joe Green System: 28 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 10.9MWh Why I went solar: We made the decision to install a 9 kW system from Stateline Solar at our residence for three foundational reasons: Money, Environment, Local Economy. With a 5.25-year payback, after rebates and credits, and a 25 year life expectancy, it just made sense to invest in the infrastructure. As a society, I feel that we all need to do what we can to help the environment; this is part of my contribution. Our locally owned and operated contractor, Stateline Solar, is a great organization and supports our local community not only in good jobs to raise families, but by giving back and supporting our community. The experience of determining size, location, installation, payment schedule, performance and all aspects of the array was smooth with no surprises. | Libertyville
Vicki Szech System: 42 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: ~15.45MWh Why I went solar: I've always believed in alternate energy sources and decided to take advantage of the Federal and State incentives available to home owners for installing solar panels. In addition, the cost of installing solar for home owners had fallen in the last few years. Installed by:
| Mokena
Dorelle Ackermann System: 34 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 12.7MWh Why I went solar: I am concerned about Climate Change and realize my carbon footprint is horrendous. When I realized it would save me $$ too, it was a no-brainer. Installed by:
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Monee
Marilyn Jupp System: 51 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 15MWh Why I went solar: I wanted to save money and reduce fossil fuel emissions. Installed by:
| Naperville
Daryl Monge System: 32 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: Not enough data yet! Why I went solar: We were interested in a combination of cost savings, environmental impact, and we love trying and using leading edge technologies. | Naperville
Jonathan Whitall System: 20 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: Not enough data yet! Why I went solar: We wanted to do our part to contribute what we could to the green energy movement for years. With the incentives, it finally made financial sense to do so. |
Northbrook
Ihab Riad System: 22 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 9130kWh Why I went solar: To save money! My electric bill now is almost nothing; best investment ever. | Oak Park
Eugene Wedoff System: 24 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 9655kWh Why I went solar: We wanted both to be environmentally responsible and to save money. Our house is well situated for installing solar panels. We installed an Eyedro EYEFI-4 monitor that lets us see current production from our solar panels and our current consumption of electricity. This lets us choose to use the largest amounts of electricity (for example, charging our electric car) when we're generating the most solar electricity, greatly reducing our draw from ComEd. Installed by:
| Oak Park
Jakob Eriksson System: 24 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 9000kWh Why I went solar: Beyond sound finances, we wanted to show that a grand old house, located in the Frank Lloyd Wright historic district, can have panels facing the street and still look great. Installed by:
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Orangeville
Theresa Meier System: 18 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: Estimated 6264kWh Why I went solar: We had our solar panels installed in late July 2020. We were concerned about how the solar panels would look on our roof, but after installation we barely even realize they are on there. After the Federal Tax Credit of 26% and the SREC rebate, it will only take us approximately 7 years to recoup the cost of our system. With the 25 year life expectancy of the solar panels, we then will have 18 years of very little electricity cost. We are anxious to receive our first full power bill to see the savings! | Palatine
GRNE Solar System: 84 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 33.98 MWh Why I went solar: GRNE is a solar company, and we use our own installation as a training for our newest staff members. | Plainfield
James and Judy Partacz System: 31 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: Not enough data yet! Why I went solar: We figured that it would have a better return on our money than simply being in our 401K. We are planning to still be in our home for another 8+years, and by that time it should have paid for itself and we will get a boost in our home's value when we sell. |
Prospect Heights
Glenn Reed System: 9 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: ~3500kWh Why I went solar: Solar is a great way to help the environment while saving money on electricity! Installed by:
| Riverside
Bob Finn System: 12 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: Not enough data yet! Why I went solar: The back of our house has a southern exposure with no trees close to the house. My wife and I are concerned about the environment and we felt this was a good way to reduce our carbon footprint. After attending a webinar partially sponsored by Citizens Utility Board, we decided to investigate further. | Rock City
Fiene Feed Service System: 8 ground-mounted panels Annual Production: - Why I went solar: Having a solar PV system installed for my family feed mill was an easy choice with the current incentives, future power bill savings, and the impact it will make on our environment. |
Schaumburg
Shantanu Agarwal System: 8 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 8500kWh Why I went solar: We wanted to go green. It made financial sense, and had bid demand. | Western Springs
Stephen Baker System: 28 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 11.2MWh Why I went solar: We thought solar power was a no-brainer once we understood how economical it was. We have two electric cars and firmly believe in both the benefits and the common sense in electrifying as much as possible. Installed by:
| Wilmette
Ben Tolsky System: 15 roof-mounted panels Annual Production: 3800kWh Why I went solar: I wanted to do something that would be good for the environment, as well as teach my children about the importance of taking care of the Earth. I didn't think that solar would be a good option in Chicago with our weather. I actually thought that wind might be more appropriate. I attended a fair which had a handful of renewable energy installers, and all confirmed that not only is solar better than wind (some sold both), but that with the current level incentives it would pay for itself long before the kids went to college. That made it a no-brainer, and 3 months later I had solar panels installed on my roof. |
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