Ameren Missouri is pursuing multiple opportunities to expand renewable energy generation and has installed solar facilities in underutilized locations, including a parking garage, next to an airport runway, and in partnership with community-based organizations working in underserved neighborhoods.
Under the Neighborhood Solar program, Ameren Missouri has partnered with community organizations to build solar facilities. These sites, enabled by the Smart Energy Plan, provide clean energy to the grid while also serving as hubs of renewable workforce development and solar education across our service territory. Ameren Missouri owns, maintains and finances the sites. The program is no longer open to new sites.
Several Neighborhood Solar locations are now generating clean energy, including:
The largest Neighborhood Solar installation to date at 1.2 megawatts, the 3,500 solar modules will provide enough energy to power more than 130 homes for a year. This facility is located on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University, providing covered parking for the Show Me Center. Construction began in October 2021, and it went into service in July 2022.
Ameren Missouri's first site built under this program is located at the Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis headquarters and ReStore in South St. Louis. Three canopies provide shade and cover for the nonprofit’s operations. The site went into service in August 2021.
This neighborhood solar installation is located at the Maryland Heights Community Center. The canopy-style panels maximize existing space and add shade and weather protection for parking at the community center without losing a single spot. Together, the 1,335 solar modules will provide about 500 kilowatts of energy per year, which is equivalent to the energy used by about 55 homes over that same time. Construction began in fall 2022, and it went into service in April 2023.
Two solar structures at the North Metro Operating Center, located at 4440 Union Blvd. in St. Louis, went into service in April 2023. More than 500 solar modules will provide about 200 kilowatts of energy per year, which is equivalent to the energy used by about 20 homes over that same time. Both the solar panels and the operating center are the result of investments made through the Smart Energy Plan. The operating center serves more than 135,000 customers in North St. Louis and the surrounding communities.
This neighborhood solar installation is located at Delmar DivINe in St. Louis' West End neighborhood. In a year, the panels are expected to provide enough energy to power about 35 homes. They also offer shade and weather protection for almost 200 employees and visitors to the nonprofit's campus. Delmar DivINe provides shared space and capacity-building programs for 39 nonprofit and retail tenants that deliver a variety of social services as well as financial and career assistance to the community. The Energy Center went into service in August 2023.
More than 600 solar panels are generating renewable energy at Ameren Missouri’s Jefferson District Operating Center in House Springs, Missouri. It went into service in August 2023. The site is expected to generate enough energy to power approximately 27 homes every year.
There are many ways Neighborhood Solar is benefiting communities in Ameren Missouri's service territory, from workforce development to grid resiliency to environmental benefits. By investing more than $14 million in renewable energy projects within neighborhoods where our customers live, work and play, Ameren Missouri is making renewable energy visible, accessible, and providing it as a local amenity, complete with shaded parking and LED lighting.
In addition, Ameren Missouri provided job and training opportunities to members of the local community where we were building. This provided valuable experience and equitable career access in the growing field of renewable energy installation.
Finally, Ameren Missouri's site selection supported environmental justice by adding clean energy to the grid in historically underserved areas or affected by the urban heat island effect. We understand the value of conscious investment during the clean energy transition that corrects historical environmental injustices.