Exelon plans to build (10 MW) solar power plant on Chicago's South Side

[jpak]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/green/chi-wed-solar-powerapr22,0,5438800.story

Exelon Corp. will unveil on Wednesday plans to build a $60 million solar power plant on Chicago's South Side, a small step to fighting climate change that leans heavily on government funding due to the high cost of turning sunlight into electricity.

"It's a way to start participating in renewable energy," said Tom O'Neill, Exelon's senior vice president of generation development. "Ultimately, we are putting 10 megawatts of electricity on the grid. It's not much. But you've got to start somewhere."

Solar power won't replace coal power plants anytime soon. The unaffiliated coal-fired Crawford plant in Chicago has a capacity that is 50 times greater than the Exelon solar project, which would be constructed only if the company qualifies for federal Energy Department loan guarantees.

America gets about one-ten-thousandth of its electricity from the sun, according to the Energy Department. There's room for growth.

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