Normal Township Activity & Recreation Center

The Normal Township Activity and Recreation Center — known locally as the ARC — is the kind of place that holds a community together. It's where families come to stay active, where neighbors catch up, and where local events bring everyone under one roof. So when it came time to think about the ARC's energy future, Normal Township wanted a solution that matched the center's spirit: forward-thinking, community-minded, and built to last.

The ARC received approval for SREC funding through the Illinois Solar for All program, and the result is a beautiful 294 kW DC roof-mounted solar array comprised of 784 Tier-1 solar panels. The system is expected to generate over 365,700 kWh of clean energy every year — that adds up to over 9,164 MWh over the next 25 years.

The environmental impact alone is worth celebrating: the system's lifetime production is equivalent to planting 107,590 trees or removing 14,250,000 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere. But the financial story might be even more impressive — the ARC is projected to save over 85% on its electricity costs over 25 years. Those are dollars that go right back into community programming and services.

Energized in February 2021, this was one of Balance Solar's early milestones, and it remains one of our proudest. It's an excellent example of the Illinois Solar for All Nonprofit and Public Facility Subprogram at work — proving that when smart financing meets community vision, everybody wins.