4,000 solar panels will help fuel innovation at Rockford aerospace facility

Chris Green, Rockford Register Star
·2 min read

Collins Aerospace broke ground on a new 6.5-acre solar farm Friday at its Electric Power Systems facility in Rockford.

The farm will be owned and operated by ENGIE North America as part of a 15-year power purchase agreement. ENGIE is a clean energy company that helps customers run their facilities more efficiently and optimize energy and other resources.

The new installation will help supply roughly 10 percent of the Harrison Avenue facility’s electricity needs on an annual basis, said Eric Cunningham, Collins Aerospace vice president of Electric Power Systems.

"This is exciting because now we have a way to actually offset a lot of that power usage within a renewable way right here on the same site where we're going to be developing new product for our aerospace industry," Cunningham said.

Collins Aerospace's agreement with ENGIE is expected to reduce the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, the equivalent of taking 357 gasoline-powered cars off the road for one year, Cunningham said.

More: Going green: Collins Aerospace unveils $50M electric power system lab

State Rep. Dave Vella, from left, Kristen Fornes of ENGIE North America, Rockford Ald. Mark Bonne, Eric Cunningham of Collins Aerospace, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and State Sen. Steve Stadelman participate in a solar farm groundbreaking ceremony Friday, April 26, 2024, at Collins Aerospace in Rockford.
State Rep. Dave Vella, from left, Kristen Fornes of ENGIE North America, Rockford Ald. Mark Bonne, Eric Cunningham of Collins Aerospace, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and State Sen. Steve Stadelman participate in a solar farm groundbreaking ceremony Friday, April 26, 2024, at Collins Aerospace in Rockford.

"At ENGIE our mission is to accelerate the transition towards a carbon neutral enconomy and every project moves the needle," said ENGIE Vice President Kristen Fornes.

Construction and installation of over 4,000 solar panels is expected to take place in a large field on the south end of the Harrison Avenue campus. The solar farm is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

Collins Aerospace is an affiliate of RTX Corporation, an Arlington, Virginia-based aerospace and defense conglomerate. RTX has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 46% by 2030.

Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said he appreciates Collins Aerospace commitment to renewable energy.

"It is good for environment," McNamara said. "It shows other companies in our community what they can and should be doing."

Chris Green is a Rockford Register Star general assignment reporter. He can be reached at 815-987-1241, via email at cgreen@rrstar.com, and X @chrisfgreen

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford aerospace firm makes clean energy pledge with solar farm