2022-2023 Program Year Project Submission
The 2021-2022 Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) program year concluded on May 31, 2022. The Illinois Solar for All Program Administrator is reviewing projects in the Illinois Solar for All: Residential Solar and Illinois Solar for All: Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-programs submitted by Approved Vendors through May 31, and projects will be submitted for approval to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) as they are determined eligible.
The Illinois Power Agency’s 2022 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (2022 Long-Term Plan), which includes details regarding requirements for the 2022-2023 program year, is currently under consideration by the ICC with approval expected at the July 14, 2022, ICC meeting. Once the 2022 Long-Term Plan is approved, the Program Administrator will incorporate changes from the 2022 Long-Term Plan into program documents and the Approved Vendor Portal. Approved Vendors will have time after the 2022 Long-Term Plan’s approval to make any adjustments to projects subject to the new guidelines and final 2022-2023 REC prices.
Submission windows for ILSFA sub-programs in the 2022-2023 program year are tentatively scheduled to open in the late fall of 2022. The full calendar will be announced later this summer.
The Program Administrator will open the Residential Solar sub-program portal for 2022-2023 project submission and preliminary review on June 15, 2022, with final review in early September after 2022-2023 program year requirements and REC prices are finalized. With the volume of projects in this sub-program, opening the portal for project submission and preliminary review will help to prevent a review backlog and lessen the impact of project delays on potential participants. The requirements and review process for this interim period are detailed below.
Residential Solar Submission and Preliminary Review Process
Beginning on June 15, 2022, Approved Vendors may submit Residential Solar projects that are not seeking the energy sovereignty benefits that are new to the 2022-2023 program year. The approved 2022 Long-Term Plan will contain new provisions related to projects that contribute to energy sovereignty, including a set-aside portion of the ILSFA budget and other additional support. Final implementation details and availability of the energy sovereignty option will be announced at a later date.
Projects should be submitted as outlined in the current 2022-2023 Approved Vendor Manual. During the preliminary review, Approved Vendor Managers will review project information that is unlikely to change with the approval of the 2022 Long-Term Plan, such as system design and site requirements. Additional information may be requested at a later date from the Approved Vendor if needed to comply with the final provisions of the 2022 Long-Term Plan.
PLEASE NOTE:
Projects submitted during this time will still have incentive values calculated using the 2021-2022 program year’s REC pricing, as the 2022-2023 program year’s REC pricing will not yet be finalized. Calculations will be adjusted once the 2022-2023 program year’s REC pricing has been updated in the portal.
Disclosure Forms contain a calculation of the total expected REC value, which will change after the 2022-2023 program year’s REC prices are determined and portal updates are made. Approved Vendors must demonstrate (either via email or registered mail) that participants have received a revised Disclosure Form, generated within the portal, that reflects the final 2022-2023 REC value. Approved Vendors and Designees must explain to participants—at the time of the initial signing of the Disclosure Form—that the REC pricing information is not final and will be adjusted, and inform the participant how they will receive the updated information. If no other updates to the Disclosure Form impact the participant’s costs or savings, the participant does not need to sign the revised Disclosure Form. If the change in REC pricing impacts the cost of the system to the participant, the participant must sign a new Disclosure Form, and the participant must be allowed to cancel the project at no cost.
In early September, the Program Administrator expects to have the Vendor Portal updated for 2022-2023 and will begin final review of the Residential Solar projects submitted since June 15 (excluding those seeking energy sovereignty benefits) to ensure that the projects reflect all 2022-2023 requirements, and will recalculate REC incentive values using 2022-2023 pricing. For projects submitted after this time, the Program Administrator will conduct a complete review based on 2022-2023 requirements and REC prices.