Lightstar Renewables
LaSalle County, Illinois
N 21st Rd Solar is a 5-megawatt community solar project under development by Lightstar Renewables in LaSalle County, Illinois. The project would be a dual-use facility, incorporating the agrivoltaics practice of continued cultivation below and between the solar panel arrays. Lightstar also proposes to use the buffer area around the fenceline to create wildlife habitat consisting of native, pollinator-friendly plants. The project site is located in an agricultural area of northern Illinois and is adjacent to the cooling pond for a nearby nuclear energy facility.
EDR was pleased to provide site plan design, cultural resources survey, surface water delineation and habitat assessment, vegetation management planning, coordination with local and state officials, drafting of the special use permit application to the county, and additional permitting support. The project received its special use approval in March 2023.