Northern Illinois is about to see its rooftops work harder than ever — not for real estate developers, but for households priced out of the clean energy transition.
This week, Prologis and utility ComEd kicked off what’s set to become the largest rooftop community solar portfolio in the region, starting with a logistics center in Franklin Park. Over the next two years, 45 Prologis rooftops will be fitted with solar arrays capable of generating 82 megawatts (MW) of clean energy.
More than half of that power will go to income-qualified households through a subscription model that lowers bills without requiring solar panels on individual homes.
The Bigger Picture
Illinois has one of the fastest-growing community solar markets in the United States, thanks to the state’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and earlier Future Energy Jobs Act. Since CEJA’s passage in 2021, connected community solar capacity has grown 400 percent — making clean power available to households who can’t install panels due to cost, location, or building type.
Community solar flips the script on access: customers subscribe to a shared project and receive credits on their electricity bills for their share of the power generated. Large rooftops, like those in Prologis’ logistics portfolio, can feed directly into the grid and serve hundreds of subscribers.
A New Blueprint for Logistics Real Estate
Instead of leasing rooftops only to tenants, Prologis is turning them into local power plants. The Franklin Park site — a 1.56 MW installation atop a 195,000-square-foot warehouse — will primarily serve residential subscribers, with some energy credits flowing to local small businesses.
State leaders see this as a model for equitable decarbonization. “By leveraging underutilized industrial rooftops, we’re not only expanding access to clean, renewable energy — we’re ensuring that working families in our communities can directly benefit from lower utility costs and a more resilient energy grid,” said Illinois State Representative Norma Hernandez.
Why It Matters
The initiative blends climate action with economic equity:
82 MW of clean energy capacity across 45 rooftops
More than half of energy credits reserved for income-qualified households
Dozens of underserved neighborhoods gaining access to solar savings without upfront costs
It’s also a signal that logistics real estate — often overlooked in clean energy discussions — can be a potent tool for distributed renewable power.
A Company on a Sustainability Climb
The launch follows Prologis’ recognition as the 8th most sustainable real estate company in the world in TIME Magazine’s 2025 ranking of the world’s most sustainable companies. The ranking reflects:
313 million square feet of sustainably certified space
Over 900 MW of solar and storage either operational or in development
14 million electrified miles traveled by fleet customers
For ESG leaders, the Franklin Park launch is more than another ribbon-cutting — it’s a proof of concept for how underutilized commercial space can drive the clean energy transition while keeping equity at its core.
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