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Illinois community solar project pilots Planted high-density solar racking

By Billy Ludt | July 14, 2026

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Aligned Climate Capital has acquired Armoracia, a 7.3-MWDC community solar project in Collinsville Township, Illinois, that will deploy a high-density, terrain-following solar racking to reduce land grading. Armoracia will serve subscribers through the Illinois Adjustable Block Program on the Ameren Illinois grid and is expected to reach commercial operation later this year.

Credit: Planted

Planted produces a dual-tilt solar racking system that reduces or removes the need to grade land for installation. It features a shorter profile than traditional pile-driven ground mounts and is supported by the company’s design platform.

“This acquisition matters because it helps establish Planted’s platform as financeable infrastructure at commercial scale. Their platform is built for land-efficient deployment, making solar work on sites where conventional approaches would require significantly more land,” said Peter Davidson, CEO of Aligned Climate Capital. “Until now, developers have had a limited ability to commit a real pipeline to Planted projects without an institutional buyer prepared to finance construction and own the assets. Aligned’s acquisition of Armoracia helps solve that problem and creates a financing precedent for the technology at commercial scale.”

The Armoracia community solar project is being built on 16 acres and will not require site grading. Aligned acquires distributed solar and energy storage projects and manages them for the long term.

“Community solar runs on tight land budgets and execution certainty,” said Eric Brown, CEO of Planted. “Armoracia puts 7.3 MW on 16 acres and leaves the land usable long after the array’s life. That’s the kind of outcome Aligned’s holistic approach makes available to the broader community solar market.”

News item from Aligned Climate Capital

About The Author

Billy Ludt

Billy Ludt is managing editor of Solar Power World and currently covers topics on mounting, inverters, installation and operations.

Comments

  1. James says

    July 15, 2026 at 9:40 am

    Planted Solar does not reduce land use. It actually increases it. Because you need more east west facing modules to produce the same amount of energy as a south facing or single axis tilt.
    Please research your articles a little more closely before writing.
    Thank you
    James Holtzman Clean Energy Design Group

    Reply
    • Kelly Pickerel says

      July 15, 2026 at 9:59 am

      The statement isn’t that Planted reduces land use. It reduces the need for grading.

      Reply

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