PAOLI – Keystone Power Holdings, LLC (Keystone), a renewable energy developer/owner of solar facilities, has announced its intention to focus on bringing solar energy to the education sector.
Two solar projects were recently completed and given permission to operate in Illinois. Located within an hour’s drive of each other, Abingdon-Avon High School and Augustana College have entered into agreements with Keystone to develop and build solar installations. Each site is fully built and operational. Abingdon High School hosts a 750 kW DC system and Augustana College hosts 1.35 MW DC across four buildings. As with all of Keystone’s projects, these projects deliver a triple benefit: bring down energy costs, reduce environmental impact and build resiliency into local power grids.
“With our development expertise, we were able to collaborate with these educational institutions to determine the optimal location for their installations and help them save on one of their largest operational expenses – electricity.” said William DePhillipo, co-founder of Keystone. “Our solar projects will allow education administrators to direct more funding to their students and teachers, and that’s a win for us all.”
The Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act was signed into law on September 15, 2021. It provides increased state incentives for solar projects via the Illinois Shines program and puts Illinois on a path to 100% clean energy by 2045. This legislation makes solar projects make economic sense to educational institutions.
“We’re excited to work with public and private schools and universities in the state of Illinois,” said Anthony Fotopoulos, co-founder of Keystone. “With the passage of the Act, we look forward to working with more educational institutions in Illinois. We are pleased to help bring a message to tomorrow’s leaders that renewable energy can make a difference in their lives.”
