ComEd has officially linked up with Prologis, a global development company, to launch a rooftop community solar project in Franklin Park which happens to be the first of 45 installations slated for deployment across Illinois over the next two years.
According to certain reports, Prologis portfolio will generate 82 megawatts (MW) of solar energy to reach upon the largest rooftop community solar initiative in all of northern Illinois. On top of that, more than half the energy credits will be directed to income-qualified households, thus expanding access of clean energy in underserved communities throughout the Chicago area and beyond.
“We’re proud to join ComEd to officially launch this project, the first of many community solar projects that our energy team is deploying across our Illinois rooftops,” said Carter Andrus, Prologis’ Chief Operating Officer. “Illinois is one of the fastest-growing solar markets in the country, and we’re excited to help lead its momentum. For us, this is about more than solar panels—it’s about using our scale to make a real difference in the communities where we operate and bring the benefits of clean energy to more people across Illinois.”
Markedly enough, ComEd roped in SunVest Solar, a national developer and independent power producer, to design Franklin Park 3 rooftop community solar installation atop a 195,000-square-foot Prologis logistics center.
Prologis, on its part, will own and operate the 1.56 MW community solar project, which would be capable of serving mostly residential customers, with the remaining community solar credits benefiting local businesses. The company will also construct dozens of rooftop community solar projects in northern Illinois, including several in the Chicagoland region.
For better understanding, the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act was actually the main catalyst in creating Illinois’ community solar program, whereas on the other hand, the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) made it stronger.
As a result, since the passage of CEJA, there has been a 400% increase in connected community solar, a figure which represents 4x the capacity of Community Solar that was installed in 2024 vs. 2023.
From a practical standpoint, community solar makes it possible for ComEd customers to access the benefits of clean solar energy without installing solar panels of their own. Participants basically subscribe to a solar energy project owned by an independent developer. Once they do so, they can start earning credits on their monthly ComEd bills for their portion of the energy produced by that particular project.
Moving forward, ComEd expects to have 240 community solar sites on its system by the end of 2025, producing 520MW and powering around 71,000 homes.
With energy generated by the community solar project flowing to ComEd’s grid and becoming part of the overall energy supply, ComEd customers can also subscribe to a community solar project located anywhere in the ComEd region.
“I’m happy to stand with ComEd and Prologis as we celebrate the launch of this community solar project right here in Franklin Park,” said Norma Hernandez, State Representative, 77th District. “By leveraging underutilized industrial rooftops, we’re not only expanding access to clean, renewable energy—we’re ensuring that working families in our communities can directly benefit from lower utility costs and a more resilient energy grid. This is a smart, community-centered model for how we decarbonize equitably and sustainably.”
As for what makes Prologis an ideal partner for this particular drive, the answer resides in its tendency to develop, build, and manage distributed energy solutions, including rooftop solar, energy storage, community solar and OnDemand Power, all for the purpose of providing resilient, backup and dispatchable energy across the company’s global portfolio.
ComEd’s own credentials showcase the company serving more than 10.7 million electricity and natural gas customers, the largest number of customers in the U.S. The company, as of today, powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, translating to 70 percent of the state’s population.
“As we continue to support the expansion of solar across northern Illinois, new and planned Prologis rooftop solar sites promise to provide northern Illinois customers additional options for lowering their energy costs via renewable energy connected to the grid,” said Gil Quiniones, President and CEO of ComEd.
