Building a Brighter Energy Future

IKI’s latest sustainability venture is one of our most ambitious and important projects to date. Thanks in part to a Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant, a federal initiative that supports renewable energy systems, we’re proud to invest in a $1.3 MM solar panel array that will cover the southern roof of our Edgerton plant.

Installation is currently scheduled for late 2023. The 607,548 kWh that our new solar panels are projected to generate every year significantly offsets IKI’s energy needs – especially between the months of March and October. Overall, the array should reduce our reliance on the electrical grid in 2024 by an impressive 28%.

Overall, the array should reduce our reliance on the electrical grid in 2024 by an impressive 28%.

To put our energy savings in perspective, it would take over 470,000 pounds of coal to match the annual output of IKI’s new solar panel array; in terms of carbon footprint reduction, its impact is equal to the air-purifying power of 552 acres of forest.

This project is more than just a smart investment. We’re lessening the energy infrastructure burden on neighboring towns and setting a shining example in our industry as the first renewable energy project of this scale. 

As the call to be better caretakers of our planet grows louder and utility costs continue their exponential upward trajectory, IKI is turning away from finite resources with a long-term energy solution that harnesses the freely-available power of the sun.