Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday announced clean energy company Nexamp will build its second headquarters in Chicago and invest an additional $2 billion in existing and new projects in Illinois.
Founded in 2007 by two U.S. Army veterans, the company specializes in solar and energy storage and is the largest community solar provider in the country. The company’s addition will ultimately create more than 3,000 jobs in Illinois and potentially offset the power needs of more than 50,000 households, Pritzker said a news conference.
“We are one of the nation’s fastest growing solar and green technology markets, all while attracting like-minded companies who share our ambitious clean energy goals,” Pritzker said. “And when you combine our competitive incentives, investments to increase clean energy production and a workforce that is truly second to none, opportunity abounds for Illinois. I want to be clear. Like Nexamp, we’re fast becoming a market leader in Illinois.”
The Boston company’s addition to Chicago marks the latest clean energy company to come to Illinois. Gotion, a Chinese electric vehicle battery manufacturer in September announced plans for a $2 billion lithium battery plant in Manteno on the site of a former Kmart distribution center, a factory that should create 2,600 jobs.
Manner Polymers, which manufactures compounds for use in electric vehicles and components for solar panels, in June announced it would build a manufacturing facility in Mount Vernon on southern Illinois. And Prysmian Group last year also announced it would break ground on expanding its Du Quoin facility in southern Illinois. The company plans to increase cable manufacturing for renewable energy and electric vehicles.
Illinois is picking up steam in acquiring clean energy companies, but progress — in terms of jobs and less reliance on fossil fuels — has been slow.
Signed in 2021, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act set a timeline for phasing out fossil-fuel energy sources, setting a deadline of shutting them down by 2050 with a quicker deadline for communities most affected by pollution.
But the Sun-Times in September reported that renewable sources in Illinois make up only 10.5% of power, including current and planned projects. Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, are required to account for a quarter of all power by 2025.
Part of the law also included new “equitable” jobs in clean energy industries and training programs, another field where the state is lagging. But Pritzker on Monday said Nexamp’s agreement with the state also includes a fellowship program with the City Colleges of Chicago to create an employment pipeline for students interested in the solar industry.