Partners leverage combined experience on over 200 MW of community solar projects completed in the state
Maitland, FL, November 6th, 2023 – Castillo Engineering and RECON Corporation, a leading Midwestern EPC and solar contractor, announced that they have partnered on a 15 MW portfolio of five community solar projects in Illinois. Part of the Illinois Shines or Adjustable Block Program, each of the 3 MW community solar projects will use bifacial solar modules and FLEXRACK by Qcells solar trackers, and will each provide pollinator-friendly habitats. The projects will begin construction in Q4 2023. Once complete, Castillo Engineering and RECON Corporation will have collectively completed over 60 community solar projects in Illinois, or over 200 MW.
“We selected Castillo Engineering for these projects due to their extensive community solar experience within Illinois,” said Scott Walker, President at RECON Corporation. “Castillo Engineering also offers a streamlined design approach due to their in-house civil and electrical teams, which helps with optimizing designs - from fault current ratings to equipment pad design.”
Castillo Engineering’s team was able to optimize and reduce the cost of mid-voltage equipment through utility fault current insights on all five of these projects. Voltage drop and wire sizes for direct current circuits were also reduced after assessing the impact of the bifacial modules. Additionally, the firm’s in-house civil engineering team was able to optimize the access road to incorporate existing conditions, reducing permitting time and costs for each of these community solar projects.
Community solar capacity in the U.S. is expected to double by 2027, according to Wood Mackenzie. Illinois is now ranked as the fourth largest U.S. state in terms of community solar operating capacity, with community solar systems having grown 166 percent from 2021 to 2022 alone. Over the past two years, Castillo Engineering has seen its business in Illinois grow from less than ten projects in 2021 to the state becoming the company’s second largest and fastest growing market.
“We are grateful to have the opportunity to partner with an industry-leading EPC and solar contractor like RECON Corporation on these impactful projects in the Midwest,” said Christopher Castillo, CEO at Castillo Engineering. “RECON Corporation’s deep community solar expertise within Illinois is unmatched and we look forward to working together to enable many more low and moderate income households access to renewable and affordable energy throughout the state.”
About Castillo Engineering
Founded in 1998, Castillo Engineering is a leading design and engineering firm that delivers expertise in full service solar and energy storage design, engineering, and consulting services to developers, EPC contractors and utility companies. Castillo Engineering’s services cover electrical, structural, medium and high voltage for residential and utility-scale projects ranging from 5 kW to 500 MW. The firm’s experience completing 1.5 GW of solar and energy storage projects and unmatched expertise has made it the go-to solar engineering firm for utility-scale ground mount system construction documents for the industry’s top EPCs and developers. The firm was ranked by Inc 5000 three years in a row as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S., as well as the 9th fastest growing engineering firm in the nation. Castillo Engineering is based in Maitland, Florida, and is licensed in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Learn more at castillope.com.