Solar Programs In Illinois
Mission
Are you interested in solar power but prevented from installing solar panels because you can’t afford it, don’t have enough space or sunlight on your property, or live in an apartment?
Illinois’ new community solar program allows electricity customers to enjoy the benefits of solar energy without installing panels on their own homes.
Through community solar, you can purchase a portion of the electricity produced by a solar installation—called a community solar garden—and in return receive credits on your electric bill.
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Check Out Our FAQs to Learn More
Benefits of Solar
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Free Estimates
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No upfront cost if you are approved for Illinois Solar for All
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Guaranteed Savings if you are approved for Illinois Solar for All
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Installation and Consultation by Illinois Solar for All Approved Vendor
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Possible $10,000 grant from a Faith in Place Funder to help lower the cost for Houses of Worship
Illinois Solar for All
A solar program for income-eligible communities transitioning to renewable energy.
What is Solar for All?
Illinois Solar for All is a program that provides greater access to the renewable energy economy for income-eligible communities through incentives that help make solar installations more affordable.
Who is eligible?
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Houses of Worship and other nonprofit organizations who are income-eligible, and who are critical service providers.
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Homeowners or owners of a single-family building or two-to-four-unit building who are income-eligible.
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This program is specifically for income-eligible residents. To qualify, the household must verify as 80% or less of the Area Median Income (AMI). The AMI varies by household size and geography. Your Green Team Coach can help you determine the eligibility of your House of Worship.
How do I get started?
If you want to know more about the Illinois Solar for All program, reach out to any Faith in Place outreach staff (including your Green Team Coach!) and they can help you determine your eligibility, find a vendor, and help usher your project through the process!
What if I'm not eligible?
If you rent your property or are not appropriate for solar installation, you might consider Community Solar (below.) If your community is not income-eligible for Solar for All but is still interested in installing solar, you might qualify for a Green Energy grant to help lower the cost of renewable energy upgrades for your House of Worship. Reach out to your Green Team coach for more information.
Illinois Community Solar
A solar program for renters, people who live in shady areas, and who don't have space for solar panels.
FAQs
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What are the benefits of Community Solar?
Signing up for community solar can lower your overall electric costs, while also supporting renewable energy development in Illinois. Community solar can also improve the power grid’s reliability, and adding solar power to the grid lessens the need for expensive power plants, lowering market prices for all.
Who can be a subscriber?
All residential and business customers can subscribe to a community solar garden—as long as it’s located in their electric utility’s service territory. The minimum subscription per customer is 200 watts, or about one solar panel.
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Do subscribers directly receive power from the solar garden?
No. Unlike a home with its own solar panels, there’s no way to send the power generated by a solar garden exclusively to a subscriber’s home. Like all electricity, power produced by a solar garden is sent to the utility’s grid and distributed indiscriminately the moment it’s created.
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How does it work?
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Under Illinois’ community solar program, subscribers enter into an agreement that helps fund a solar installation somewhere in their utility’s service territory in exchange for a credit on their bills.
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The owner of the community solar garden pays the upfront costs to build, maintain and connect the garden to the utility’s power grid. Subscribers pay the owner for their portion of the electricity produced. The owner then reports the output of each solar subscription to the utility, and the utility company adds credits to the subscriber’s electric bill equal to that output
Let’s say your home uses 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in a month, and your portion of the solar garden you subscribe to produces 950 kWh in that same month. You would receive a credit on your bill equal to your supply rate multiplied by 950 kWh, meaning that month you would only need to pay for the remaining 50 kWh. Then you receive a separate bill from your community solar provider for that 950 kWh generated by your subscription. Currently, all community solar companies in Illinois offer savings by charging you lower than what you would have paid ComEd or Ameren.
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