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    Castillo Engineering and RECON Corporation Collaborate on 15 MW of Community Solar Projects in Illinois

    Nov. 8, 2023
    The projects are part of the Illinois Shines or Adjustable Block Program and will use bifacial solar modules and FLEXRACK by Qcells solar trackers for pollinator-friendly habitats
    Image Source: Castillo Engineering
    Castillo Engineering 654ba8c570a64

    Castillo Engineering and RECON Corporation, a Midwestern EPC and solar contractor, have partnered on a 15 MW portfolio of five community solar projects in Illinois.

    Each of the 3 MW projects, part of the Illinois Shines or Adjustable Block Program, will use bifacial solar modules and FLEXRACK by Qcells solar trackers to provide pollinator-friendly habitats.

    With construction set to begin in Q4 2023, the projects will help both companies achieve a combined target of over 200 MW or 60 community solar projects in Illinois once completed.

    Castillo Engineering's team used its expertise to optimize and reduce the cost of mid-voltage equipment through utility fault current insights on all five projects. Moreover, voltage drop and wire sizes for direct current circuits were also minimized after studying the impact of the bifacial modules.

    Additionally, the company’s civil engineering team was able to utilize existing conditions, thereby reducing permitting time and costs for each of the projects.

    "We selected Castillo Engineering for these projects due to their extensive community solar experience within Illinois," said Scott Walker, President at RECON Corporation. "Castillo Engineering also offers a streamlined design approach due to their in-house civil and electrical teams, which helps with optimizing designs - from fault current ratings to equipment pad design."

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.