DeLuca Passes Resolution Encouraging Placement of Solar Panels on Warehouse Roofs, Not Prime Farmland

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Concerned that new solar farms are taking over prime agricultural land, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, passed a House Resolution Tuesday urging warehouse owners to install rooftop solar panels on their properties and to take advantage of any applicable incentives to expedite the process.

“It’s a strategic misstep to waste prime farmland for solar farms when we can still take advantage of large areas already built on and covered by warehouses,” DeLuca said. “Our state is home to some of the best soil for growing in the world, and while I’m enthusiastic to see further development in solar, I believe it can be implemented locally in a more responsible way. Adding more panels to warehouses will reduce demand on our agricultural sites.”

DeLuca’s House Resolution 68 outlines the impact and value of solar panels, and notes that in Illinois there are more than 2,400 leased warehouses that are at least 100,000 square feet. It also highlights the fact that warehouses typically have large, flat roofs that make them ideal for solar panel installation. Beyond the benefits of not having to use prime farmland, solar panel installations at warehouses are expected to help businesses save on energy costs and further create local jobs in the solar industry.

House Resolution 68 previously received bipartisan support in the House Energy and Environment Committee.

For more information, please contact RepDeLuca@SBCGlobal.net.