Financing Opportunities Webinar Held
As previously announced, the Program Administrator held a webinar on Thursday, April 9, 2026, to provide information on financial resources and financing opportunities, including grant and loan programs, Illinois Shines vendors can pursue. Presenters included Illinois Shines partner organizations HACIA, NLR, CEJJF, and the Ameren Market Development Initiative. A recording of the event and presentation slides are now available; questions and […]
Subscriber Management Portal Feature Action Items, Webinar, and Launch
he CS Subscriber Management Feature for the Program Portal has a planned March 2026 launch. The feature will replace the current manual workbook process in SharePoint and allow for improved subscriber data quality, the centralization of access, and give AVs and Designees the ability to view and manage subscriptions, view unsubscribed Disclosure Forms, and import […]
Traditional Community Solar Case Study Now Available
Through its case study series, the Program showcases successful projects participating in Illinois Shines that are achieving important financial and environmental benefits for their communities. The Program’s newest case study spotlights Walldog Solar, a Traditional Community Solar project in Pontiac, Illinois, that’s using agrivoltaics and a pollinator-friendly habitat to deliver clean solar power, while ensuring that the land can return to […]
October 31 TCS Final Scores and Project Selection
Following the Program Re-Opening, on October 31, 2025, capacity for the 2025-26 Program Year was expanded and allocated for the TCS category. Following the application window closure, and completion of the Application Review and Scoring periods, scores for projects submitted October 31, 2025, were posted on the Traditional Community Solar hub page of the Program website. The published scores […]
Upcoming Webinar: New Community Solar Subscriber Management Portal Feature
In March 2026, the Illinois Shines Program Portal will introduce a new feature designed to improve efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility by moving Community Solar subscriber data from SharePoint. The feature centralizes subscriber data, standardizes reporting, enhances accuracy, and allows for self-service access, real-time updates, and subscription history tracking. The Program will host a live webinar on February 26, 2026, from 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. […]
Subscription Management Portal Feature
The Program Administrator continues development of the Community Solar Subscription Management Feature for the Program Portal, which is slated for a March 2026 launch. This new feature will replace the current manual workbook process in SharePoint and will allow for improved subscriber data quality and the centralization of access. The new feature will give Approved Vendors […]
Traditional Community Solar (TCS) Solar Scores for Projects Submitted October 31, 2025
Following the Program Re-Opening, on October 31, 2025, capacity for the 2025-26 Program Year was expanded and allocated. The expanded capacity was initially allocated to projects on the 2025-26 Program Year waitlists, leaving 0 MW of capacity available for Group A and 6.17 MW available for Group B for newly submitted applications. The expanded 20% […]
Updates Following 2025-26 Program Year Re-Opening: Traditional Community Solar (Group A and Group B) – Next Steps
On October 31, 2025, capacity for the 2025-26 Program Year was re-allocated following re-opening. Capacity was initially allocated to projects on the 2025-26 Program Year waitlists, leaving 0 MW of capacity available for Group A and 6.17 MW available for Group B for newly submitted applications. The expanded 20% developer cap was applied during this time. Projects selected from […]
Final Order on 2024 Long-Term Plan Re-Opening and Program Pause for New Capacity
Projects submitted during the 90-day CDCS application window for the 2025-26 Program Year are still in the scoring process period. After the scoring process and project selection, if remaining capacity is available, the Program plans to open a second 45-day application window for CDCS project submission on January 16, 2025.
Community Power Accelerator
The U.S. Department of Energy and its Community Power Accelerator are helping increase access to the funding and technical expertise necessary to deploy community solar across the country. To explore the services, trainings, and resources available for developers to connect with capital providers visit https://communitypower.energy.gov/. If you have questions about the Accelerator, please reach out to [email protected].