SunVest Solar, a national energy developer based in Chicago, will begin construction of a solar farm at DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport this spring. The 7.5 megawatt solar installation, about 65 miles west of Chicago, will supply electricity to residential and corporate subscribers connected to ComEd’s electrical grid.
The 48-acre solar project is on schedule in spite of uncertainty clouding the clean energy industry under the new presidential administration. President Donald Trump has called for revoking green economy initiatives backed by President Joe Biden. But it’s unclear which of Trump’s threats will materialize.
In spite of political uncertainty, SunVest CEO Bram Walters does not expect the company’s business to change in the medium term. “We continue to see long-term demand for sustainable renewable energy,” he said.
SunVest’s Illinois projects are backed by the state government, not federal. This year and in 2026, the company plans to build more solar projects that could eventually generate at least 150 megawatts of electricity across Illinois, which strongly supports renewable energy. SunVest currently has 16 solar operations in the state that generate 50 megawatts.
In 2024, SunVest’s revenue reached an estimated $200 million with about 75% of sales from Illinois projects. They include commercial rooftop solar projects in the Chicago area, as well as solar installations on leased farm land across Illinois. Many of the solar energy projects are on the sites of former coal mines, Walters said.
Gov. JB Pritzker in 2021 signed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, setting a goal to fuel Illinois entirely by clean energy by 2050. But progress has been slow. The state isn’t even halfway to its goal of renewable power generating 40% of electricity by 2030. Clean energy sources are experiencing delays getting connected to the grid.
But electricity demand is swelling in Illinois and nationwide, especially with the growth of data centers. “Solar is pivotal to help deliver that,” Walters said.
‘Living with tariffs a long time’
In February, Trump ordered tariffs of 10% on goods from China and 25% on steel and aluminum imports. While SunVest is concerned about escalating trade tensions and is closely monitoring policy developments, Trump’s tariffs do not change Sunvest’s outlook.
“We’ve been living with tariffs for a long time,” Walters said.
Five years ago, most solar equipment was made in China, he said. But after Trump imposed tariffs on imported solar panels during his first presidency, manufacturers shifted to the U.S. Now, SunVest uses solar panels made in Georgia by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha.
A solar panel at a SunVest installation in DeKalb County.
There are other reasons to shift away from goods made in China, including claims of human rights violations among workers, Walters added.
While new tariffs imposed by Trump could potentially affect the cost of materials overall, SunVest has already “taken steps over the last several years to transition its supply chain to source materials and components almost entirely from U.S.-based companies and manufacturers,” Walters said.
SunVest was founded in 2009 and moved from Milwaukee to Chicago in 2022 because of Illinois’ ambitious targets for clean energy under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. Today, the company is based in the West Loop. It has 53 employees and expects to have 60 by the end of 2025.
SunVest moved to Chicago to be in a bigger city with a large pool of university graduates and a strong renewable energy ecosystem, said Walters. Chicago-area projects include a rooftop solar array for the Chicago headquarters of Radio Flyer, the iconic maker of toy wagons. It went live in 2020.
For SunVest, hiring and training qualified people fast enough to keep up with growth is an ongoing challenge. In February, the company had job listings for roles such as electricians, service technicians, financial analysts and product managers.
SunVest is active in 18 states, including Nebraska, Maine and Hawaii. But the majority of its business pipeline is in Illinois. “Our future is concentrated in the Midwest,” Walters said.
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The West Loop-based company has 16 projects in Illinois and expects demand for renewable energy to continue.
