The nation’s second-largest solar array officially opened with a celebration last week. But there was an undercurrent of concern behind the ribbons and the giant American flag adorning the event.
Will the U.S. solar boom fade under President Donald Trump?
The Illinois project, called Double Black Diamond Solar, is at the center of the nation’s clean energy revolution. At 593 megawatts, it is the largest solar project east of the Mississippi River and second only nationally to the Gemini Solar project in Nevada. Double Black Diamond will inject electricity into the Midwest’s power grid, which traditionally does not boast large amounts of solar. Much of the power will be purchased by the city of Chicago to power municipal buildings and meet its climate goals.
Double Black Diamond came online amid a wave of new solar facilities. More than 600 projects opened last year, providing a record-setting 30 gigawatts of utility-scale capacity to the U.S. grid. But whether solar can continue its boom is an open question. Trump’s tariffs on foreign components threaten to hike the cost of renewable energy, and he has promised to ax tax incentives that promote clean energy projects.
