ILSFA updates: New solar projects, education events, and more
Project Submission Update: 2019-2020
Another round of Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) project applications is under review! The initial project submission window for the 2019-2020 program year opened on Wednesday, September 4, 2019 and closed on Tuesday, September 17, 2019. A breakdown of the projects submitted for each sub-program is as follows:
- Low-Income Community Solar: 30 project submissions, totaling 54,511 kW in system capacity and $148.8 million in incentive value
- Low-Income Distributed Generation: 11 project submissions, totaling 2,064 kW in system capacity and $4.2 million in incentive value
- Non-Profit/Public Facilities: 20 project submissions, totaling 2,675 kW in system capacity and $6.1 million in incentive value
The Program Administrator is reviewing the submissions and will update the status of the submitted projects regularly on the project dashboard.
Based on the total incentive value for the submitted projects, the Project Selection Protocol will be necessary for the Low-Income Community Solar sub-program, but not the Low-Income Distributed Generation or Non-Profit/Public Facilities sub-programs. Random Project Selection for the Low-Income Community Solar sub-program will be held on Thursday, October 31, 2019. View the full project window timeline and the full description of the next steps for each sub-program.
Finally, the final sub-program budget amounts for the 2019-2020 program year, along with an explanation for how they were determined, have been posted here.
Grassroots Education Spotlight
Our grassroots education organizations are working across the state to help Illinois communities pave the way to a clean energy future. Our spotlight organization this month is Prairie Rivers Network. Read their spotlight article and learn about the workshop they’ll be leading for non-profit and public facilities on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 here. Attendance at this and other events led by grassroots education organizations is open to the public.
New Approved Vendors
We currently have 28 Approved Vendors with more applications coming! Our Approved Vendors play a pivotal role in ILSFA’s mission to promote equitable access to the solar economy by fulfilling certain program requirements, including assessing the solar readiness of potential program participants and hiring qualified job trainees to work on their approved projects. View the full list of Approved Vendors to check which utility territories they serve and which sub-programs they participate in.
Solar Professionals Networking Event
Thanks to everyone who attended the ‘Future Energy Jobs Act: Connecting to Solar Projects’ networking event on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 in Chicago. Approved Vendors, developers, contractors, and job trainees gathered to meet industry colleagues and strengthen working relationships. We plan to hold more networking events in the future. Visit the Job Training webpage for more information.
Become an ILSFA Expert
- Brush up on the program basics
- Learn how the Low-Income Distributed Generation, Low-Income Community Solar, and Non-Profit/Public Facilities sub-programs work and who qualifies for them
- Review the latest version of the Approved Vendor Manual
- Connect with Approved Vendors and grassroots education organizations in your area