Forget the plutonium! ComEd customers have collectively harnessed enough renewable energy to surpass Doc Brown’s minimum of 1.21 Gigawatts (GW) of power needed to time travel! This summer, the beloved classic film “Back to the Future” turns 40, and what better way to honor the adventures of Marty McFly and Doc than by celebrating a milestone ahead of its time.
Through its renewable energy initiatives, ComEd has helped customers interconnect 1.35 GW of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) – that’s enough energy to power 45,000 homes for a year and more than enough to time travel in a DeLorean going 88mph. DER includes devices such as rooftop solar panels, community solar farms, wind farms, and battery energy storage systems. Thus far, more than 74,000 DER systems have fed power to our electric grid and are the ‘flux capacitor’, so to speak, in our journey to a more reliable and resilient energy future.
“While we may not be quite ready to time travel, this is a major milestone in our journey to a cleaner energy future,” said Rose Mary Colella-Seavey, Senior Manager of DER Interconnection. “ComEd is making it easier to go solar through improved access, while delivering best-in-class reliability. Today, there are more options than ever before and we are here to support our customers every step of the way.”
Over the last five years, ComEd has supported an annual growth rate of 114% in residential rooftop solar, 25% in commercial and industrial rooftop solar and over 4,000% in community solar – an option that can give residential customers the benefits of going solar without having to install solar panels of their own.
As of April 2025, there are 172 active community solar projects serving more than 35,000 ComEd customers. These customers subscribed to community solar projects, “farms” of solar panels in ComEd’s service region, generating energy that feeds the overall energy supply and earns them credits on their electric bill.
Through ComEd’s Distributed Generation (DG) Rebate program, more customers were able to offset the out-of-pocket costs of installing private solar energy systems. Last year, a record of $71.6 million was paid out to customers going solar, with more funds available through 2025.
ComEd estimates that solar power on its grid, including rooftop and community solar systems, will grow to 2.7 GWs by 2030. To make going solar simple, ComEd created interactive solar calculators that help customers better understand and compare their solar options. This is one of many tools ComEd offers customers to manage energy use and reduce costs. Find out how you can contribute to a brighter, more sustainable future by visiting ComEd.com/Solar.
