IL Shines program makes solar affordable & accessible for families

ILLINOIS (WAND) - Illinois is paving the way with renewable energy through an incentive program to make solar panels more affordable and accessible for families and businesses.

More than 28,000 solar projects are now up and running in Illinois, thanks to a bill passed by the 2019 legislature.

"The idea behind the Illinois Shines program is to incentivize new solar development in the state of Illinois and to make that development more affordable," Audrey Steinbach, program manager with the Adjustable Block Program, told WAND News.

Working with an approved vendor, homeowners and businesses have the option to purchase a solar system outright, enter into a power purchase agreement to pay a vendor per kilowatt, or complete a lease agreement.

"A homeowner or business owner alternatively could lease the system from an approved vendor. This is pretty much similar to leasing a car where the homeowner or business owner pays a monthly fee," Steinbach added.

Balanced Solar is one of the approved state vendors. The company is now working on a major project with the Springfield Airport.

"The Springfield Airport is going to be saving over a million dollars using Balanced Solar's Prepaid Solar Agreement," Zachary Kearnan, owner of Balanced Solar, told WAND news.

The 2.8 megawatt project will eventually make the airport money.

"They will actually be monetizing the electricity by selling it to one of their tenants. So that system will actually be earning them revenue," Kearnan explained.

When it comes to the average homeowner, Balanced Solar said a system would likely cost about $30,000 to install. But a customer would receive almost $8,000 back from a federal tax credit and another $8,000 from solar energy credits through the Illinois Shines Program. Then, a homeowner's power would cost them nothing.

"Solar is always going to save you money in the long run. Most of these systems - if they're well maintained - can last you 40 years," Kearnan added.

There are no income requirements for the Illinois Shines program. Low-income residents could be eligible for the Illinois Solar for All program. In that program, there are no upfront costs and the state guarantees savings for homeowners.