Solar development is picking up across Henry County, with five projects at various stages following approval of their special use permits, according to county board and committee minutes, zoning records released to The Geneseo Current under the Freedom of Information Act, and updated information from Henry County Zoning and Building Manager Kyle Stromquist.
Annawan Solar — special use permit approved
Annawan Solar LLC, a subsidiary of New York-based SR2 CP Holdco I LLC, received approval for a 5-megawatt ground-mounted array on about 25 acres of a roughly 101-acre site at 16350 E. 2600th St. in Annawan Township. The land is owned by Robert W. Brucker.
The facility would include photovoltaic modules on racking systems, inverters, and underground electrical lines, connecting through existing utility infrastructure along E. 2600th Street in coordination with Ameren. Panels would stand no more than 20 feet tall at full tilt, enclosed by a 7-foot woven-wire agricultural fence with warning signs, native vegetative screening along the southern edge, and pollinator-friendly ground cover. No lighting is planned.
Setbacks as designed include at least 150 feet from nonparticipating homes — the nearest is about 260 feet from the fence line — and 50 feet from public roads and neighboring property lines. The developer signed an agricultural impact mitigation agreement with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and completed state environmental consultation.
The May 2025 project narrative anticipated construction starting in late 2025 and lasting six to nine months. Stromquist said the project's special use permit has been approved, but there is no other action at this time.
Ditmer Solar — permits in process
Ditmer Solar LLC, owned by Cypress Creek Renewables, received approval for a 4.999-megawatt project on a roughly 78-acre tract at 24051 N. 1500th Ave. in Annawan Township, on land owned by Kent Broadbent. Its panels would sit on single-axis trackers rising no more than 12 feet at maximum tilt, with anti-reflective coating.
The developer estimates about 8 million kilowatt-hours a year — described as enough for roughly 800 homes — sold through Illinois' community solar program to residents and nearby subscribers at or below market rates.
According to Stromquist, the project's special use permit has been approved. Its decommissioning agreement and building permit are now in the approval process.
North Pope Solar — special use permit approved
The largest of the five, North Pope Solar would build a 24-megawatt facility on about 160 acres at 3402 E. 90th St. near Alpha, in Oxford Township. The developer is North Pope Solar LLC, indirectly owned by Birch Creek LLC; its affiliate Birch Creek Development says it has eight solar projects in Illinois and Missouri. The landowners are Matthew and Amanda Miller.
The project would use north-south rows of photovoltaic modules on single-axis trackers driven into the ground without concrete foundations, connecting to the grid through a line tap on an east-west circuit with a newly built substation. The developer is working toward an interconnection agreement with Ameren.
The timeline is the longest of any county project so far: an eight-to-10-month construction period possibly starting in spring 2028 or spring 2029. The facility would operate remotely, with 25-year panel warranties and pollinator-friendly vegetation. The developer told the Planning Committee that area landowners and Oxford Township officials were not opposed, and that the Alwood School District and Henry County would benefit.
Earlier county records reviewed by The Current showed the Planning Committee unanimously recommending the special use permit on April 29, 2026, with the Planning and Development Committee considering it May 12. Stromquist has since confirmed that the special use permit was approved. No other action is underway at this time.
Boilermaker Solar — special use permit approved
Boilermaker Solar LLC, a subsidiary of Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy, received approval for a special use permit for a 5-megawatt community solar project on about 32 acres of a 37-acre site in Wethersfield Township, on farmland owned by Dan and Traci Hier near Kewanee. County records place the project on cleared farmland near an Ameren substation — not at the former Kewanee Boiler site, despite the project's name.
Because state community solar rules cap projects at 5 megawatts, no substation or permanent ancillary structures are planned. The project would participate in the Illinois Shines program, letting Ameren residential and business customers subscribe for a 10-to-20% discount on their electric bills. The developer says it has completed Ameren's interconnection study process and executed an interconnection agreement, and has prepared a decommissioning plan consistent with its agricultural impact mitigation agreement.
The design calls for 6-to-8-foot fencing, pollinator-friendly native vegetation, and precautions to avoid Indian Creek. Construction would take three to six months, with remote around-the-clock operation. The land agreement includes renewal options up to 40 years, and the project could power up to 1,000 homes a year. Listed tax beneficiaries include Henry County, Wethersfield schools and road district, the Kewanee airport, library and fire district, and Black Hawk College. Notably, the same parcels held expired 2018 permits for smaller solar facilities that were never built.
The developer held an information meeting June 3 for property owners within a quarter mile, and a Laborers union representative spoke in favor at the July 29 Planning Committee hearing. The Planning and Development Committee unanimously recommended approval on Aug. 11.
Stromquist has now confirmed that the special use permit was approved. No other action is underway at this time.
E. 1300th Street Solar — decommissioning agreement and building permit approved
E. 1300th Street Solar LLC is the furthest along in the county approval process among the five projects reviewed.
Its special use permit has been approved, along with its decommissioning agreement and building permit, according to Stromquist.
Earlier county records showed the Planning and Development Committee unanimously approving its decommissioning agreement July 7, followed by an 18-0 County Board vote July 16. The Transportation Committee recommended its road use agreement Aug. 13 on a 4-1 vote, with Ray Elliott voting nay.
The records reviewed by The Current did not include the project's size or location.
The rules behind the approvals
Each project is reviewed under the county's Solar Energy Ordinance — Appendix C of the zoning ordinance — which sets setback, fencing, screening, drainage, and decommissioning standards. It is separate from the proposed battery-storage ordinance, Appendix D, which has not been adopted and is headed to the Planning and Development Committee.
What to watch
All five projects have now received approval for their special use permits, but they are at different points in the process that follows.
Ditmer Solar's decommissioning agreement and building permit remain in the approval process, while E. 1300th Street Solar has received approval for both. According to Stromquist, no additional action is currently underway for Annawan Solar, North Pope Solar, or Boilermaker Solar.
The Current will continue following the projects as they move from county zoning approval toward permitting and, ultimately, potential construction.
