A special use permit for developers hoping to build a commercial solar energy system in Squaw Grove Township has been reauthorized by the DeKalb County Board.

The DeKalb County Board first gave Shenandoah Solar, a subsidiary of Ironwood Projects, a special use permit to build a solar facility in Squaw Grove Township after a 13-11 vote on June 26, 2024.

Construction on those projects has not yet begun, and special use permits issued by DeKalb County expire if progress hasn’t been made on a project.

Despite being a contested vote 18 months prior, on Dec. 17, 2025, the DeKalb County Board unanimously voted to reauthorize the special use permit.

The original special use permit for the project was set to expire within a few months, according to county documents. Officials wrote that it can be challenging to get into the construction queue for energy projects that connect to the local and regional power grid systems operated by Commonwealth Edison and PJM.

The proposed solar energy system could be developed on 49.1 acres of a 95.733-acre property that is zoned for agricultural uses by the county.