PEORIA COUNTY (25News Now) -After severe weather swept through Central Illinois during the spring and summer months, solar farms in Peoria County were among the facilities affected.
According to Peoria County officials, only one of the county’s 15 solar farms sustained significant storm damage, which is now being repaired by the developer after county officials surveyed the damage in March.
The 17-acre solar farm, operated by Cameron Solar, LLC and developed by Foster Solar, is located on Cameron Lane on Peoria’s south side. The facility was affected by severe weather that brought heavy rain, strong winds, hail and tornadoes to parts of Central Illinois.
Damage to the facility included electrical wiring concerns and twisted, nonfunctioning solar panels.
“The wind took… the panels off of the structure and then separated some of the electrical lines. Another array has tweaked and twisted, and new panels will have to be put on that one as well,” said Adam Willard, inspection coordinator for Peoria County’s Planning and Zoning Department.
According to Kyle Gott, a construction manager with RNWBL who was working at the solar farm, repairs are expected to be completed by Thanksgiving.
Willard works with developers throughout the solar farm approval and construction process, helping ensure the facilities are properly maintained after becoming operational.
“Once we find out that [the solar panels] have been damaged, we will do our initial inspection on it, and then we will try to contact the developer— make sure that they are aware of the situation,” Willard said.
“Then work with them on whether they need new permitting or not or shutting down part of the array to make sure that there is no electrical damages or hazards.”
Although the Cameron Lane solar farm was the only one identified by county officials as having sustained major storm damage, Peoria County has established additional requirements for companies seeking to develop solar facilities within its boundaries.
Most recently, in 2025, the county added a requirement that applicants develop an approved solar site before transferring or selling the project.
The county also began conducting annual inspections of solar farms in July to ensure the facilities are properly maintained and comply with local requirements. Its first round of inspections took place this year.
“High winds have really caused some problems to these solar panels,” said Andrew Braun, director of Peoria County’s Planning and Zoning Department.
“The winds get up underneath the panels and kind of, sometimes uproot them. Some sights have had significant wind damage. We’re working with those companies to repair the damage to the panels, to the racking and whatever else might’ve been damage such as fencing or signage.”
Beyond storm damage, county officials have identified several maintenance concerns during inspections, including dead landscaping, overgrown grass and weeds reaching the bottom of solar panels, litter, storage containers and portable toilets left on properties.
“Biggest issue that we’ve seen is the maintenance of the sights. Properties being mowed, weeds being cut, contact information being updated, we haven’t had any issues with sights being secure…they all are in great shape with fences, locks and such,” Braun said.
“At times we’ve seen panels that are bent from the wind. At times we’ve seen panels that have been removed from the racking, and then in general just damaged panels. For the most part those are being replaced in a timely fashion.”
County officials said solar farms in Peoria County generate electricity that enters the regional power grid, which is managed in part by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO. The electricity is distributed through the broader grid rather than being reserved exclusively for Peoria County residents, but the county is included into the benefits.
Peoria County also has financial protections in place to address decommissioning costs if a solar developer fails to meet its obligations.
According to county officials, developers provide financial assurances, including bonds, as part of the approval process. If a facility must be decommissioned and the developer fails to fulfill its responsibilities, the county could use those funds to hire a third party to remove the solar equipment and restore the property.
However, county officials said they have never had to use those financial assurances to decommission a solar farm.
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