Renewable Generation

Solar Farms

In October 2015, PPI constructed two 500 kW solar electric production facilities in the Spoon River Electric Cooperative and Shelby Electric Cooperative territories. The solar farms are owned by PPI subsidiaries PPS-Spoon River, LLC and Prairie Power Solar, LLC, respectively. The solar farms together produce enough electricity to supply 1,500 families every day. The Spoon River Solar Farm is located between Havana and Astoria and includes a unique learning center. The Shelby Solar Farm is located east of the Lake Shelbyville Dam.

These two solar facilities add to the two solar farms developed by PPI member co-ops Illinois Electric Cooperative in Winchester, IL, and Jo-Carroll Energy in Elizabeth, IL.

PPI Wind Farm Power Purchase Agreement                                                

In June 2011, PPI executed an 18-year Power Purchase Agreement with Pioneer Trail Wind Farm, LLC (PTWF), an affiliate of E.ON Climate & Renewables North America, for the purchase of 20 MW of wind energy and renewable energy credits (RECs).  The wind farm consists of 94 GE 1.6 MW turbines located in Ford and Iroquois counties in east central Illinois and can generate as much as 150.5 MW.  The wind farm began commercial operations in 2012.

The site encompasses more than 12,000 acres of land, with the turbines occupying approximately 2-3% of this land mass. Local benefits include an estimated $29 million in local tax revenues, $8 million in local salaries, and over $50 million in landowner leases over the project’s expected 25-45 year life cycle. The wind farm provides clean, emissions-free energy to approximately 45,000 households.  Generating electricity with wind can reduce PPI’s carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by more than 316,000 tons per year.

Peaking Generation

Alsey Generation Facilities

Owned and operated by PPI, the Alsey Generation Station consists of five (5) natural gas-fired, peaking generators located in Scott County, IL. The facility entered service in June 1999 and has an aggregate capacity rating of 121 MW. PPI is developing a sixth unit at this site, a simple-cycle 42 MW GE LM6000 PC Sprint, which is scheduled to begin commercial operation in early 2017. The LM6000 will also burn natural gas with the alternative for distillate fuel oil as a backup source.

Pearl Combustion Turbine

During times of peak electricity demand and system emergencies, PPI can call on a 20 MW oil-fired combustion turbine based at the Pearl Generation Station in Pike County, IL.

Base Load Generation

Prairie State 1,600 MW Generation Station

In July 2007, the PPI Board of Directors committed to becoming an 8.22% owner-participant (130 MW) of the Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC) in Washington County, IL. PSEC is a technologically-advanced electric generation facility, consisting of two generating units capable of aggregately producing approximately 1,600 MW. The plant serves consumer-owned electric cooperative and municipal utilities across five states. It uses state-of-the-art environmental emissions control equipment technologies, making it among the top 10 cleanest coal-fueled power plants in the United States. PSEC emissions are less than half the average of regulated emission rates when compared to all U.S. coal plants. The supercritical high-efficiency design of the plant results in CO₂ emission rates lower than typical coal plants across the country. Mercury emissions meet Illinois environmental regulations, one of the strictest requirements in the nation. Advanced scrubbing systems provide one of the highest sulfur dioxide (SO₂) removal rates of any permitted plant. Annual nitrogen oxide (NO_x) and SO₂ emission rates are less than one-third the average annual emission rates for U.S. electric power generation facilities. Approximately 98% of SO₂, 99% of fine particulates, and 80% of NO_x are removed. Being a mine-mouth facility provides an added benefit of eliminating nearly 200,000 tons of CO₂ emissions per year. Both PSEC units became commercially operational in 2012