The city of Marseilles could help save residents 10% on their energy bills through a program called Community Solar. Buy Commercial Energy, a brokerage firm through the Illinois Commerce Commission, would help the city get extra energy from a shared solar farm in the area. The energy would be sent to Ameren and then to the residents.
Spokesperson Diane Elkins says Ameren rates are skyrocketing. Elkin says by the summer they will be nine cents a kilowatt and could go up to eleven cents a kilowatt by the fall.
She says the city and the firm would help residents sign up if they wanted to be included in the program. But they don’t have to.
She says residents and the city would get $100 if they decide to register. The city and Arcadia, a company that supplies the solar energy, would work together to educate a sign up community members starting from June through September.
But residents would have to make a one time payment to Arcadia because they are supplying the extra energy through the solar panels. The city council didn’t taken any action but could approve working with Buy Commerical Energy at another meeting.