October 1 marked a momentous occasion for Huntley school district 158 (Huntley 158). After many months of deliberation, the much-anticipated solar panel installation project was approved for construction on three Huntley 158 campuses, celebrated through a small ceremony involving school and public officials.
“The installations make it the largest of its kind on school district property in the state,” said Huntly 158 Director of Communications and Public Engagement, Dan Armstrong.
The Harmony Road campus that borders Sun City will be one of the three campuses being introduced to the power of solar.
While the campuses are expected to save 4.2 million dollars in energy costs over the next 20 years, the question is, will these solar panels have any impact on the surrounding communities?
Jim McConoughey, President of the McHenry County Economic Development Project, assured that the project has been thoroughly examined to meet environmental and communal standards.
“It’s a great demonstration of the power of solar and the community getting together and trying to find renewable resources for the next 20 years. These are in all parts of the country and all parts of the states. As far as the residents go, the residents can see solar projects firsthand and learn about the benefits it brings,” he said.
Vice President of the school board, Tony Quagliano, explained the installations occurring on the Harmony Road campus should not cause any disturbances to Sun City residents due to the location of the panels.
He stated, “That one was specifically put at the front of the campus which is kind of right at the entry way so it’s not at the perimeter affecting the residents of Del Webb and the surrounding properties. We went and talked with Huntley Del Webb because it was originally supposed to be buried on the property toward the back and it would’ve been more visible to them. I don’t think it’ll be visible to them at all now.”
Congresswoman Lauren Underwood expressed her delight in the impact this project will bring to the Huntley community.
“This is the first step. This is a community investment and so the community will see the dividend and hopefully it will inspire residents to take their own steps forward to embracing renewable energy resources and transitioning their homes or their workplaces to adopt them as well. This project is promising and so we’re hopeful and we’re going to be continuing to be in touch with the school district to see if they need help with anything or if we can be of assistance as other communities get on board. I’m sure the Huntley crew will be happy to mentor,” she said.
The panels are being supplied by Forefront Power, an industry leader of renewable energy for the past 15 years. Rachel McLaughlin, Vice President of Sales at Forefront Power expects Huntley’s solar project to offset nearly 12.3 million pounds of carbon emissions in the first year alone on top of producing approximately 7.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. To put it in perspective, that is enough energy to power 900 homes.
