Earthrise Energy has commenced commercial operations at the Archtop solar project located in Illinois. The project has an installed capacity of 270 MWac and comprises the Gibson City Solar 1 and 2 facilities. The project is the first to utilise the Earthrise’s surplus interconnection strategy, enabling new solar generation to leverage the existing grid infrastructure of its Gibson City natural gas peaking plant.
The project made use of MISO’s surplus interconnection process, avoiding the traditional interconnection queue, and accelerating deployment. Earthrise is also developing an approximately 1.5 GW solar pipeline across five additional projects in Illinois using the same approach. These projects include Northwest and Glacier Moraine Solar in Cumberland and Coles Counties, Plum Valley and Pride of the Prairie Solar in Will County and Tilton Solar in Vermillion County.
In May 2026, Earthrise Energy secured approval from the Will County Board for a special use permit for its proposed 600 MW Pride of the Prairie Solar Project in Illinois. The project will utilize the existing interconnection point at the Lincoln Generating Facility, accelerating grid connection while generating an estimated 1,000 jobs. Over its lifetime, the project is expected to deliver approximately $87 million in economic benefits through local tax revenues and county funding.
