New Solar for Schools Webpage
Illinois Shines launched a new webpage designed to help public school administrators, facilities staff, and district leaders better understand how solar projects can reduce long-term energy costs, and support sustainability goals and student learning. The webpage outlines key considerations, sector-specific resources, and a step-by-step guide for exploring on-site solar or Community Solar subscriptions for public […]
180-Day Prioritization Window for Public Schools Subcategories Closed
As stated in the Program Guidebook Section 1.E, Public Schools capacity is allocated by Group, Tier, location, and project size subcategories. If any of the allocations are not filled within the first 180 days of the Program Year, Public School projects will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis regardless of Tier, Environmental […]
Reminder of December 17 Elective Pay Webinar
Elective Pay is a new mechanism that allows tax-exempt entities – such as local government offices, public schools, nonprofits, or houses of worship – who have installed or plan to install a clean energy project to file a tax return and receive a reimbursement for a portion (often at least 30%) of their project costs, even […]
Updated Public School AV Roundtable Meeting Date
The Fall 2025 Public Schools AV Roundtable has been rescheduled to December 8, 2025. A new invitation will be sent to AVs who previously expressed interest. Other AVs interested in attending are encouraged to contact [email protected].
180-Day Prioritization Window for Public Schools Subcategories
As stated in the Program Guidebook Section 1.E, Public Schools capacity is allocated by Group, tier, location, and project size subcategories. If any of the allocations are not filled within the first 180 days of the Program Year, Public School projects will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis regardless of Tier, Environmental Justice Community […]
Updated Public School AV Roundtable Meeting Date
The Fall 2025 Public Schools AV Roundtable has been rescheduled to December 8, 2025. A new invitation will be sent to AVs who previously expressed interest. Other AVs interested in attending are encouraged to contact [email protected].
Program Year 2025-26 Public Schools Outreach Action Plan Published
Through the enactment of CEJA, a Public Schools category was added to the Illinois Shines program in 2021. Since its addition to the Program, the category has seen fewer project submissions than anticipated, leaving leftover capacity. Though more than 90 projects by public schools have been developed through Illinois Shines, many of them have been submitted in project […]
Helping Public Schools Go Solar With Illinois Shines – Recorded Presentation and Slides Available
The Program has prepared a recorded presentation (presentation slides here) designed to help public schools explore solar energy opportunities through Illinois Shines. The presentation provides an in-depth overview of the Illinois Shines Program, project types including the Public Schools project category, financing options, and key considerations for public schools exploring solar energy. It complements a Public Schools Case Study the Program recently created. More […]
Public Schools Case Study Now Available
On May 1, the Program published its first case study, highlighting how one Illinois school district turned to Illinois Shines to achieve important financial and environmental benefits for its community. The case study describes the school district’s motivations to consider solar energy, its exploration of the benefits of doing so through Illinois Shines, and provides details about […]
Portal Latitude and Longitude Updates Implemented
As shared earlier this week, the PVWatts® Calculator no longer provides the “address” query parameter required in project application submissions, including estimated system production and associated contractual REC delivery amounts. On March 10, 2025, the Program Administrator implemented a solution that automatically resolves the new PVWatts requirement for latitude and longitude from applications upon running […]