Under the Illinois Shines program, ComEd is required to buy Solar Renewable Energy Credits (“SRECs”) from Illinois homeowners who go solar. For many homeowners, this means a check worth upwards of $10,000. But, until this week, it appeared that homeowners served by a municipal utility would be ineligible. No longer.
On September 25, 2019, the Illinois Supreme Court rejected ComEd’s effort to prevent municipal and coop utilities from participating in the Illinois Shines program. Going forward, if you live in Naperville, St. Charles, Batavia, Geneva, or Winnetka, you have a clear right to participate in and benefit from the Illinois Shines program.
How does Illinois Shines work?
Illinois homeowners receive an incentive from the state of Illinois for hosting a new solar photovoltaic system on their rooftop. The Illinois Shines solar incentive comes in the form of Solar Renewable Energy Credits you earn with your system. Regardless of whether you are a ComEd subscriber or a municipal utility subscriber, ComEd is required to purchase these SRECs from you (at prices set by the Illinois Power Agency) when you install your system. They are typically worth between 20 and 40% of the cost of a typical solar system.
How can homeowners participate in Illinois Shines?
Once you decide to go solar and participate in Illinois Shines, an Approved Vendor such as Certasun will apply for your system to be part of the program. When Certasun designs a solar system for you, we estimate the number of SRECs it will produce and their value. When you decide to move forward with an installation, we make a reservation with the Illinois Shines program to ensure you get the payment you expect.
Only homeowners who own their solar systems are eligible; if you lease the system, the benefit of these incentives is passed to you in the form of the low rate you pay for the electricity produced by the system.
Do municipal utility homeowners actually qualify?
Yes! Thanks to the Illinois Supreme Court ruling on September 25, 2019, ComEd has to pay homeowners to their SRECs regardless of whether that homeowner is a ComEd subscriber. In fact, one of Certasun’s customers on the Geneva utility has already received his Illinois Shines incentive!
Learn more about Illinois Shines
Learn more about Illinois Shines in its program brochure.
Check out our guide to help determine if your house may be a good fit for going solar, or get started now with requesting a free, no-obligations quote for your home using the form below.
