• Sol Systems will use U.S.-based Improved Forest Management credits to address its corporate footprint and construction emissions from three Illinois solar projects.
• The agreement with Chestnut Carbon enters its second consecutive year, extending a partnership first established for Sol Systems’ Prairie Creek solar project.
• Chestnut’s program gives private U.S. forest owners access to carbon markets, creating revenue for forest management, taxes and long-term land planning.

Sol Systems extends forest carbon partnership

Illinois-based solar construction is again being paired with U.S. forest carbon removals as Sol Systems expands its partnership with Chestnut Carbon for a second year.

The clean energy developer and independent power producer has purchased Improved Forest Management, or IFM, credits from Chestnut. The credits will address Sol Systems’ corporate footprint in 2026. They will also cover emissions associated with construction of its Tilden and Eldorado I and II solar projects in Illinois.

The agreement builds on a partnership that began in 2025. Sol Systems initially sourced Chestnut credits to offset construction emissions from its Prairie Creek solar project in Illinois.

For Sol Systems, the arrangement connects its renewable energy development strategy with land stewardship in the same broader region. Chestnut has a footprint in the Midwest, allowing the company to source forest carbon credits closer to where its solar assets are being built.

Forest owners gain access to carbon revenue

Chestnut’s IFM program works with private forest landowners across the United States. It provides access to carbon credit markets in exchange for forest management practices designed to increase carbon storage.

The model can create an additional revenue stream for participating landowners. That income can help cover property taxes, forest management expenses and longer-term planning costs. It can also reduce reliance on timber harvesting as the primary source of economic value from forestland.

That financial dimension is important for the wider voluntary carbon market. Nature-based carbon projects increasingly face scrutiny over quality, durability and whether local communities and landowners share in the economic benefits.

Chestnut and Sol Systems are positioning the partnership around those local outcomes. Both companies say their projects are designed to combine environmental benefits with economic value for the communities and landscapes where they operate.

“It’s an honor to continue to supporting Sol Systems as they develop U.S.-based clean energy projects in a thoughtful, community-centered way. We share a belief that sustainable infrastructure should deliver meaningful local benefits, and we’re excited to keep advancing the vision. ” said Brian DiMarino, Chief Operating & Commercial Officer, Chestnut.

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Linking clean energy with local carbon action

For Sol Systems, the purchase extends the environmental strategy surrounding its solar portfolio beyond renewable electricity generation.

The company is using carbon credits to address emissions that remain within its corporate operations and project construction activities. At the same time, its preference for regional forest projects creates a closer geographic connection between its clean energy investments and carbon removal spending.

“At Sol Systems, our work is rooted in the belief that clean energy should strengthen both communities and the ecosystems that support them. Sourcing high-quality, local IFM credits from Chestnut allows us to extend the impact of our work beyond clean energy generation – supporting responsible land stewardship, local economic resilience, and measurable environmental benefits in the regions where we operate.” said Juliana Isaac, Director of Sustainability and Ecosystem Impact, Sol Systems.

For executives and investors, that approach reflects a broader question around corporate carbon strategies: where credits come from can matter alongside the volume purchased. Geographic proximity, landowner economics and measurable environmental outcomes are becoming increasingly relevant considerations in procurement decisions.

The partnership also shows how renewable energy developers can integrate carbon management into project-level sustainability strategies. Construction still creates emissions even when the resulting infrastructure produces clean electricity.

By pairing solar development with regional forest management, Sol Systems is addressing part of that footprint while directing carbon finance toward U.S. landowners. The second year of the partnership points to a longer-term role for locally sourced nature-based removals within corporate climate strategies.