# What is this electrical(?) facility/structure in Central Illinois? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041 "2025-04-14T17:10:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041/1 "2025-04-14T17:10:47Z")
Near I-55 Exit 39 in Central/Southwestern Illinois, not far from the town of Hamel, on the west side of the road is some sort of facility/structure that I drove past yesterday on my way home. On Google Maps it’s labeled “Midwest Power Partners,” so it has something to do with electricity. It’s hard to tell from the road, and even harder to tell from the Google Maps photo I’m linking to, but basically it’s an array of structures about 5-10 feet off the ground, with large (several inches in diameter) wires hanging from them. The tops don’t appear to have solar panels on them (although again, hard to tell from the road, and really, solar energy isn’t really ideal in this part of the country anyway). The entire structure appears to be laid out in a square or grid, a few hundred feet by a few hundred feet. Given the wires and the fact that it’s labeled “…Power,” my first thought was that it’s an electrical substation, although it looks like no electrical substation I’ve ever seen. Any thoughts? https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=%213m2%212sen%214v0%216m8%211m7%211sIp8i-E2BxuuNk465txuJuQ%212m2%211d38.985983%212d-89.7497757%213f271.33%214f6.182%215f0.75 ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041/2 "2025-04-14T17:19:42Z")
Some sort of transmission antenna would be my guess. Looks like it’s using lots of power. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041/3 "2025-04-14T17:20:17Z")
Maybe it is a substation … for a future wind farm. > **[Midwest Power Partners](https://www.midwestpowerpartners.com/)** > > Midwest Power Partners Seems to be the same sort of thing near the center of this image. [![](https://www.midwestpowerpartners.com/uploads/1/3/3/9/133929857/background-images/1356611276.jpeg) ](https://www.midwestpowerpartners.com/uploads/1/3/3/9/133929857/background-images/1356611276.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041/4 "2025-04-14T17:25:30Z")
Wait - all that white in the left background appears to be solar panels. A whole lot of them. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041/5 "2025-04-14T17:31:15Z")
In which case, whoever marked the location as “Midwest Power Partners” is probably wrong. Their website doesn’t mention solar, only wind. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041/6 "2025-04-14T17:32:25Z")
Well, the idea of it being wind-related certainly tracks, as wind farms have been popping up, albeit without any consistency or regularity, across parts of Illinois of late. There’s a pretty huge one about 65 miles north outside of Springfield, and even huger ones outside of Bloomington and Peoria. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041/7 "2025-04-14T17:35:27Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > Wait - all that white in the left background appears to be solar panels. Check out the glare off 'em. https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1744652070382!6m8!1m7!1spy1iU6ip6iI2xAlxLAcY1A!2m2!1d38.98475953766098!2d-89.74973004752971!3f238.80791343818743!4f-8.134831645322052!5f0.7820865974627469 ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041/8 "2025-04-14T17:38:16Z")
Solar farm. [https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Solar-farms-mobile-homes-main-topics-at-ZBA-17538762.php](https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Solar-farms-mobile-homes-main-topics-at-ZBA-17538762.php) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-electrical-facility-structure-in-central-illinois/1017041/9 "2025-04-14T17:43:34Z")
So they are branching into solar. > Midwest Power Partners LLC and property owner Jane Pirolo had requested a special use permit for a community solar project I wonder why it’s not mentioned on their website.