2026-04 Ordinance Rezoning Property from R-1 Single Family Residence District to M-1 Intense Commercial/Light Industrial District - Property Northwest of the Intersection of West Mound Road and North Westlawn Avenue (07-07-29-476-004)

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Decatur Northwest 2, LLC Decatur Northwest 2 Commercial Solar Energy Facility, Decatur, IL components,direct current(DC)/AC power string inverters,medium-voltage transformers,control and distribution cabinets,a medium-voltage collection system,switchgear,and one interconnection point to the existing electrical distribution system. The Project layout proposes two equipment pads,one per planned array. An equipment pad consists of one or more DC/AC inverters,a medium voltage transformer(MVT),and a control cabinet. These components are often mounted on a concrete slab,with or without an enclosure. The string inverters convert the DC power from the panels into three-phase AC power,which is distributed from the Project site to the Project's interconnection point. The voltage of the converted AC current is increased through the MVTs prior to transmission to the grid. The PV panels will be secured on a tracking system supported by metal piers driven or screwed into the ground to a depth of approximately 6 to 8 feet. To support the PV panels,the Project will utilize a single axis tracking system,which is designed to optimize power production by allowing the PV panels to track the sun's movement across the sky. Single axis tracking systems vary by manufacturer but generally consist of a series of mechanically linked horizontal steel support beams,known as torque tubes,with a drivetrain system that is usually located in the center of the rows,dividing the array into two sides. The number of rows within a tracker block can vary,but it is often limited by the system's ability to move the torque tube assemblies and the desired solar output amount. Solar PV panels typically consist of glass,polymer,aluminum,copper,and semiconductor materials that can be recovered and recycled at the end of their useful life. To provide decades of corrosion-free operation,solar cells are encapsulated from air and moisture between two layers of plastic,with a layer of tempered glass and a polymer sheet or industrial laminate. In the same way a windshield cracks but stays intact,a damaged solar cell does not generally create small pieces of debris. Crystalline silicon panels represent approximately 90%of solar panels in use today.Research has shown they"do not pose a material risk or toxicity to public health and safety."2 Crystalline silicon panels present no material risk of chemical components leaching into soil or groundwater. The Project will include a DC collection system,which will collect electricity from the PV panels and transmit it to the string inverters. Panels will be grouped into a series of circuits(strings),and the strings will subsequently be wired in parallel through electrical harnesses that travel through the cable trays to DC termination blocks located within the respective string inverters. The string inverters will convert the DC power,created by the solar modules and delivered by the electrical harnesses,into AC power. This AC output power will then be combined at the Project's main aggregating solar switchboard and will feed into the grid across the point of common coupling with the utility. The total number of string inverters will vary with the final tracker design and the Project's final system size. The current design utilizes 25 string inverters. The electricity collection network will consist of underground collection cables,which are used to conduct the electricity to the Project's protective switchgear and metering equipment. These cables will be buried 36 to 48 inches below ground.The Project will be built to product and industry safety standards,and the threat of fire or electrical hazard with this type of project is minimal. 2"Health and Safety Impacts of Solar Photovoltaics,"N.C.State University,N.C.Clean Energy Technology Center, May 2017.