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By 25 News
BLOOMINGTON – State Farm Insurance plans to use solar energy to power eight of its Bloomington facilities, including the company’s headquarters and operations center.
State Farm says it has entered into an agreement with Constellation to buy 103,000 megawatt hours of energy per year, equal to 74,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually or 16,000 gasoline powered passenger vehicles for a year.
The energy will come from the Double Black Diamond Solar farm in Sangamon and Morgan Counties, developed by Constellation and run by Swift Current Energy.
At 4,100 acres, it’s expected to be one of Illinois’ largest solar projects.
The solar farm will have a capacity of 593 megawatts of power, generating enough renewable energy for more than 85,000 homes.
“By purchasing power from the project, State Farm is not only moving closer to its goal of 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, but it is also supporting hundreds of construction jobs in Illinois and long-term tax revenue for communities in the state,” State Farm said in a news release.
“State Farm is committed to reducing its overall impact on the environment and addressing climate change,” said Jenny Greminger, vice president of Administrative Services and Public Affairs at State Farm.
“Our efforts to improve energy efficiency, reduce waste, and lessen our carbon footprint is just another example of State Farm’s pledge to be a good neighbor,” Greminger said in a prepared statement.
The solar farm is expected to be completed late next year.