Nexamp wants to build a solar farm near Prairie Knolls in Jacksonville.
The company Nexamp, which wants to build a solar farm northeast of the Prairie Knolls neighborhood, is inviting Jacksonville residents to an informational meeting about the project.
The discussion will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Twisted Tree Music Hall, 1061 E. Morton Ave.
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The project would encompass 15 or 16 acres on the east side of Blacks Lane, south of the train tracks. Jack Curry, Nexamp's director of business development, said company representatives will be on hand to answer any questions people may have.
Nexamp presented this map to Jacksonville City Council in October. It outlines a mockup of a proposed solar farm.
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"It's an effort to make sure that folks don't feel blindsided by an application that we submit to the city and all of the sudden there's a public hearing, and maybe folks feel like they weren't a part of the discussion early on," Curry said.
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If the project is approved, people who sign up for supplemental electricity from Nexamp would see a discount on their electric bill, Curry said. The project is part of the state’s community solar program, which incentivizes companies to build projects in low-income communities.
RELATED: Nexamp solar project looking for subscribers ahead of construction
In an October presentation to aldermen, Nexamp said the project could improve its visual aesthetics by offering vegetative screening and a pollinator mix. When the project's lease is up in 20 to 40 years, the land could be rezoned for farm use, the company said.
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The solar farm technology on the land at that point would be recycled through its partnership with We Recycle Solar, the company said.
The city's recently passed ordinance regulating battery storage would not affect the project because it does not have battery storage, Curry said. The ordinance dictates how and where companies can use battery energy storage systems as a way to have more control over energy projects. It passed second reading on March 23.
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The last major solar project built in Morgan County is the Double Black Diamond project, which supplies electricity to Chicago. The proposed project is much smaller — about 16 acres compared to more than 4,000 acres, Curry said.
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"It is considerably smaller than maybe the type of project that they saw previously back in 2024, and I think there are probably some lessons learned based on what I've read about that project," Curry said. "And we've made an effort to shrink the size of our project. No. 1: Set it back as far as we can from Prairie Knolls; and then also to add quite a bit of vegetative screening to maybe offset some of the view shed impacts that folks are worried about."
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Curry asked city council in October to make an exception to its rule that solar farms be built 1,000 feet from city limits. He also predicted that about 50% of Jacksonville residents would be allowed to subscribe to projects like this one before the subscription meets its cap.
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The company will submit its application to the city in the days following its public meeting, Curry said Tuesday.
"The goal would be to get on the planning and zoning commission within the next few months, depending on their availability to get us on an agenda," Curry said.
Bridgette Fox is a staff writer with the Jacksonville Journal-Courier.
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