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Nexamp and TurningPoint Energy Celebrate Community Solar Milestone on Former Coal Mine Land in Woodford County
https://www.nexamp.com/article/nexamp-and-turningpoint-energy-celebrate-community-solar-milestone-on-former-coal-mine-land-in-woodford-countyJune 17, 2026
Updated on June 18, 2026
Nexamp, the nation’s largest fully integrated distributed generation and community solar provider, and TurningPoint Energy, a leading community solar and energy storage developer, celebrated the successful commissioning of two community solar projects in Minonk, Illinois, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on the reclaimed former coal mine site in Woodford County. Together, the two solar farms transform legacy fossil fuel land into a long-term source of clean, reliable energy for area residents, businesses, and institutions.
The two Minonk community solar projects have a combined capacity of 9.8 Megawatts (MWdc) and together utilize 16,950 solar panels across roughly 40 acres, sending energy directly to the ComEd grid. Both are powered by 100% U.S.-manufactured modules, underscoring a shared commitment to domestic clean energy supply chains and local job creation.
Built above a former mine that extracted from the Colchester Coal Seam for approximately 75 years in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the projects are certified brownfield sites under the Illinois Shines program, earning credits for returning previously disturbed land to productive use. They also represent the first Illinois Shines community solar development in Woodford County. This milestone reflects the county’s leadership in embracing shared solar as a path to economic development and environmental restoration.
…
The Minonk projects are among the first in ComEd’s system to incorporate Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS), a smart grid technology that monitors and manages distributed energy resources in real time. By integrating DERMS across both community solar arrays, the projects help ComEd more effectively balance load, manage variability, and enable clean energy to flow more smoothly on the grid, supporting reliability as Illinois continues to scale up renewable generation.
…
Updated on June 18, 2026
Nexamp, the nation’s largest fully integrated distributed generation and community solar provider, and TurningPoint Energy, a leading community solar and energy storage developer, celebrated the successful commissioning of two community solar projects in Minonk, Illinois, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on the reclaimed former coal mine site in Woodford County. Together, the two solar farms transform legacy fossil fuel land into a long-term source of clean, reliable energy for area residents, businesses, and institutions.
The two Minonk community solar projects have a combined capacity of 9.8 Megawatts (MWdc) and together utilize 16,950 solar panels across roughly 40 acres, sending energy directly to the ComEd grid. Both are powered by 100% U.S.-manufactured modules, underscoring a shared commitment to domestic clean energy supply chains and local job creation.
Built above a former mine that extracted from the Colchester Coal Seam for approximately 75 years in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the projects are certified brownfield sites under the Illinois Shines program, earning credits for returning previously disturbed land to productive use. They also represent the first Illinois Shines community solar development in Woodford County. This milestone reflects the county’s leadership in embracing shared solar as a path to economic development and environmental restoration.
…
The Minonk projects are among the first in ComEd’s system to incorporate Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS), a smart grid technology that monitors and manages distributed energy resources in real time. By integrating DERMS across both community solar arrays, the projects help ComEd more effectively balance load, manage variability, and enable clean energy to flow more smoothly on the grid, supporting reliability as Illinois continues to scale up renewable generation.
…
https://www.nlr.gov/grid/distributed-energy-resource-management-systems
Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems
NLR is leading research efforts on distributed energy resource management systems so utilities can efficiently manage consumer electricity demand.
Distributed energy resources (DERs) are proliferating on power systems, offering utilities new means of supporting objectives related to distribution grid operations, end-customer value, and market participation. With DER management systems (DERMS), utilities can apply the capabilities of flexible demand-side energy resources and manage diverse and dispersed DERs, both individually and in aggregate.
NLR-developed optimization tools, control architectures, and DER analytics are collectively contributing to modern DERMS solutions and can help utilities, communities, companies, and other solution providers make existing and incoming devices work for grid flexibility, reliability, resilience, and more.
Capabilities
NLR is leading research efforts on distributed energy resource management systems so utilities can efficiently manage consumer electricity demand.
Distributed energy resources (DERs) are proliferating on power systems, offering utilities new means of supporting objectives related to distribution grid operations, end-customer value, and market participation. With DER management systems (DERMS), utilities can apply the capabilities of flexible demand-side energy resources and manage diverse and dispersed DERs, both individually and in aggregate.
NLR-developed optimization tools, control architectures, and DER analytics are collectively contributing to modern DERMS solutions and can help utilities, communities, companies, and other solution providers make existing and incoming devices work for grid flexibility, reliability, resilience, and more.
Capabilities
- Model-predictive control and network-aware DER optimization
- Learning-based DER controls
- DER-aware distribution network management and automation
- Resilience-oriented community microgrid control and DER management
- Architecture design and complementary algorithm integration with commercial platforms[/like]