ILSFA Program Updates

Community Solar Income Verification

We are excited to announce that any household interested in subscribing to an Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) Community Solar project can now work directly with the Program Administrator to determine whether they are income-eligible.  More information about the income verification process is available here.  Homeowners interested in residential solar through ILSFA can determine their income eligibility directly through the Program Administrator.

2022 Revised Long-Term Renewable Resources Plan

With the passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), the Illinois Power Agency is required to develop the 2022 Revised Long-Term Renewable Resources Plan. As part of the process, the Agency issued Stakeholder Feedback requests recently on various topics that focus on new elements of the Long-Term Plan that implement provisions of the new law. We want to thank everyone that participated in the Stakeholder Feedback process. The feedback will help guide the development of the Long-Term Plan. There will be additional opportunities to provide feedback on the draft Plan. To stay up to date on Agency’s news and announcements, you can subscribe to IPA’s Announcements and Newsletter here.

Program Year 4 Update

For Program Year 4 that began on June 1, 2021, the Non-Profit/Public Facility and Low-Income Community Solar sub-programs had project applications submitted with incentive values higher than their allocated budgets. For these sub-programs, the Project Selection Protocol was used to select projects.  Twenty projects were selected for funding in the Non-Profit/Public Facility Program, and five projects were selected for funding in the Low-Income Community Solar Program.  A map of project locations and a dashboard indicating where projects are in the review and development process can be found on the ILSFA website, along with much more information about the program and individual projects.

The residential Low-Income Distributed Generation program still has funding available, and the Program Administrator continues to accept applications for income-eligible residential solar projects for single-family and multi-family homes throughout Illinois.  Learn more about eligibility and savings requirements here.

Grassroots Education Spotlight

PERRO, one of the 12 Grassroots Education Organizations working in partnership with ILSFA, is hosting a presentation for prospective participants interested in learning about Illinois’ two solar programs – Illinois Solar for All and Illinois Shines, as well as free energy efficiency programs and how the recently passed Climate and Equitable Jobs Act will impact the future of solar in Illinois. Register to attend the Pilsen Solar Energy Workshop held on Saturday, December 11, 2021, at Watershed Art & Ecology.

Although the presentations will be primarily in English, bilingual support will be available from Elevate, PERRO, and CUB (Citizens Utility Board).  All attendees must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test within the past 24 hours and wear masks.  Attendance will be capped at 30 occupants as an additional safety precaution.  This is a great opportunity to learn about programs to help households become more energy conscious and save money through Illinois Solar for All. You can find more of these events on our events page.

ILSFA Community Solar Subscriptions Now Available for Eligible Customers in ComEd Territory

Three new ILSFA Community Solar projects are now accepting eligible subscribers.  The projects, located in Kankakee and Rockford, are the first to start accepting subscribers who live in the ComEd service territory.  All three projects are accepting subscribers through ComEd’s Give-A-Ray portal. Eligible ComEd customers with active accounts can subscribe without paying any subscription fees.

To learn about projects accepting subscribers in both ComEd and Ameren territories, look at the Community Solar Subscriber Directory here.

ILSFA in the News

Bejeray Morrison has a passion for clean energy; read about and how enrolling in a solar training program from Chicago Urban League impacted her career, leading to her work overseeing Sunrun’s residential solar projects through the ILSFA project submission process.