Wind and Solar Energy Leasing in Peoria County, Illinois

An established solar track record, not a speculative one

Peoria County's Planning & Zoning office has approved 37 special-use permits for commercial solar facilities since the county first drafted its solar ordinances in 2017 -- a steady, multi-year pace rather than a recent spike. Commercial wind and solar facilities are permitted as special uses within the county's A-1 (Agricultural Preservation) and A-2 (Agricultural) zoning districts, subject to Section 7.2 of the Unified Development Ordinance and its companion solar provisions. Residential solar has grown even faster: permit applications rose from roughly 131 in 2022 to 270 in 2023, a sign that smaller-scale interest is climbing alongside the larger commercial projects.

That track record matters for a landowner weighing a lease offer or a buyer evaluating land near an existing solar facility: Peoria County's zoning office has real, repeated experience processing these applications, which generally means a more predictable review process than in a county encountering its first proposal. It doesn't mean approval is automatic, however -- each application still goes through the special-use hearing process on its own merits.

The Four Creeks Wind Project: a live, unresolved application

The county's most significant renewable-energy question right now is still open. On August 14, 2026, Repsol Renewables -- a Spanish global renewable-energy firm -- filed a special-use application for the Four Creeks Wind Project: roughly 113 turbines, each up to nearly 660 feet tall, across more than 27,000 acres in Peoria County's northwest corner, north of Brimfield and west of Princeville, extending to the Knox and Stark county lines. The project's stated capacity is up to 663 MW, which would make it a substantial addition to the county's energy landscape if approved as proposed.

As of this writing, this is a pending application, not an approved or built project. Peoria County's Zoning Board of Appeals has scheduled public hearings to begin September 14, 2026, continuing on additional dates through late September and into early October. If you own land within or near the roughly 27,000-acre project footprint, or you're considering buying land there, the practical questions are current and specific: has your parcel (or a neighboring one) been approached for a lease, what does the draft lease agreement actually require in terms of setbacks and duration, and what is the hearing process's current status. Peoria County has posted application materials, a project map, and hearing details at peoriacounty.gov/wind -- check that directly rather than relying on secondhand reporting for the latest status.

What Illinois's statewide siting law adds to the process

Public Act 102-1123, the statewide wind and solar siting law signed in January 2023, requires additional documentation as part of any wind or solar special-use application in Illinois beyond what a county's own ordinance calls for: an Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, a Vegetative Management Plan, and, where applicable, a Farmland Drainage Plan. For a landowner in the Four Creeks project footprint whose land is actively farmed, that agricultural-impact paperwork is worth reviewing directly rather than assuming a standard lease template covers it -- it's a state-mandated addition specific to Illinois wind and solar projects, not boilerplate.

What to verify before signing a lease or buying nearby land

• The current status of the Four Creeks Wind Project's Zoning Board of Appeals hearings, which began September 14, 2026 and may still be ongoing -- check peoriacounty.gov/wind directly rather than relying on a listing or a secondhand summary.
• Whether a specific parcel falls within the roughly 27,000-acre project footprint described in Repsol Renewables' application, and if so, whether it has already been approached for a lease.
• For an existing solar lease offer elsewhere in the county, how the terms compare to the 37 previously approved commercial solar special-use permits -- ask Planning & Zoning what's typical for setback, decommissioning, and duration terms it has already reviewed.
• Whether an Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement, Vegetative Management Plan, or Farmland Drainage Plan applies to your specific lease under Public Act 102-1123, and whether it has been executed and recorded.