As one of the most pro-renewables U.S. presidents in recent memory, one would expect Barack Obama to incorporate green energies into his presidential museum and library. Not only does the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side source 100% of its electricity needs from renewable energy, it also has solar installed on site. A 228-kW system was installed on the roof of Home Court, an athletic and events space built on two of Obama’s personal passions: basketball and community. Windfree Solar (No. 202 on the 2026 Top Solar Contractors List) was called on to install the system.
Credit: Windfree Solar
“We treat every install like it’s an all-star project, but this major community-facing building on the South Side of Chicago was very exciting,” said a Windfree rep to Solar Power World. “This project reflects the kind of work we want to be known for: technically strong solar integration on meaningful community infrastructure, delivered in a complicated market environment. It is the kind of project that combines mission, visibility and execution, and we are proud to have been part of it.”
Every U.S. president of the last 100 years has established his own library upon exiting office. The presidential library system formally began in 1939 when Franklin D. Roosevelt donated his personal and presidential papers to the federal government, and more presidential archival depositories have been established in the years since. Roosevelt’s predecessor, Herbert Hoover, also joined the effort in preserving historic documents, and there are 14 federally recognized presidential libraries open to the public today.
The National Archives takes physical and legal custody of the records and artifacts of a president’s administration once he leaves office, and these records are presented in their libraries. Obama announced in May 2017 that his archival materials would stay at the National Archives in Maryland — largely because society has moved into a digital world — and his foundation would instead operate a private museum and presidential center in Chicago. Documents would be available virtually, which allowed the Obama Foundation to design a community-focused campus.
The Obama Presidential Center opened this June on 19.3 acres in Jackson Park. It consists of a multi-story museum, a nearly-300-seat auditorium, outdoor spaces, gardens, playgrounds, a Chicago Public Library branch and Home Court. The 60,000-ft2 building, which is heated and cooled primarily through geothermal energy, features a metal and fritted glass exterior inspired by the pattern of a basketball net. The standing-seam roof is designed in two portions — one flat and one slightly angled. Windfree installed 513 panels across both roof portions.
Windfree was asked by the new building’s electrical contractor to install the solar array, said Jack Johannesson, director of sales and business development.
“We’ve developed good relationships with electrical contractors and general contractors because solar often gets lost in the shuffle with new buildings,” he said. “There’s so many trades that it’s often in the electrical scope, and not all electrical companies are familiar with solar. They may be really great at wiring up a new gym, but solar is outside their scope.”
Home Court features an NBA-regulation-sized basketball court, practice courts and meeting rooms. Although the building was designed to support solar, Windfree adjusted the final layout plan.
“The design they had originally would have been very difficult to service in the future. We put some more spacing between the rows,” Johannesson said. “There were some tweaks just to help with the ease of serving it later. There was ample space, so we were able to fit the whole size that they wanted.”
Home Court’s solar array was completed in December 2025. Windfree has been in business in Chicago since 2009, and Johannesson said it was an honor to help power a landmark project in Windfree’s home city.
“This project supported two things for us,” he said. “We want to be involved in these green buildings and more sustainable construction. Also, this place services that inclusion part of being in the city of Chicago. There are a lot of programs for underserved communities that are going to be going on at this facility, so we are big fans of that. We’re Equity Eligible Contractors, and we hire from a lot of job training programs in this area in the South Side of Chicago. It all aligns with the things that we already do.”
This story was featured exclusively in our 2026 Top Solar Contractors issue. See the issue and full list of top U.S. solar installers here.