Illinois Shines Portal Pause for Interim Capacity Reallocation
As previously announced, following the issuance of a Modified 2024 Long-Term Plan, the Program published a Program Guidebook Addendum to detail changes resulting from the Plan Re-Opening. All Program requirements set forth in the 2025-26 Program Guidebook will continue, with considerations described in the Program Guidebook Addendum, including temporary Program Portal closures, block structure updates, developer cap […]
Illinois Shines Honors Graduating Mentees of 2025-26 Mentorship Program Winter Cohort
The Illinois Shines Program Year 2026 Mentorship Program Winter Cohort concluded Thursday, March 5, 2026, with an in-person graduation event for 16 mentees. The event capped an eight-week Mentorship Program from January to March, during which mentees completed virtual training courses and participated in live, interactive sessions with experienced Approved Vendor (AV) mentors and the […]
Draft Program Guidebook Released for Stakeholder Feedback – Comments Due March 20, 2026
The Agency has released a draft of the 2026-27 Program Year Illinois Shines Program Guidebook. This draft Guidebook will undergo stakeholder feedback; the Agency will review comments submitted and then release a final version of the Guidebook for the 2026-27 Program Year, which commences on June 1, 2026. The Agency will release the final Program Guidebook for the 2026-27 Program Year on April 15, […]
CP Documents Stakeholder Feedback Request, 2025 Annual Complaints Report Filed, Community Solar Subscriber Management Feature Launched
The IPA announces new information related to the Illinois Shines program. This announcement includes: Coming Up in Illinois Shines, Stakeholder Support, Program News, and Reference and Reminders. The full announcement is available here. Topics include the following: Coming up in Illinois Shines Stakeholder Support Program News Reference and Reminders Thank you!Illinois Shines [email protected]
2025 Consumer Complaints & Disciplinary Actions Annual Report Published
On February 27, 2027, the IPA filed the 2025 Consumer Complaints & Disciplinary Actions Annual Report to the ICC in Docket No. 25-0945. Under the Long-Term Plan and section 1-75(c)(1)(M)(v) of the IPA Act, the Agency is required to file this report annually with the ICC to document the frequency and nature of complaints related […]
Community Solar Subscriber Management Feature Now Live
Beginning today, March 4, 2026, the Illinois Shines Community Solar Subscriber Management Portal Feature is available to all Approved Vendors (AVs) and Designees participating in the Community Solar (CS) category. This feature is designed to improve efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility by moving subscriber data from SharePoint to the Program Portal. This feature was developed with […]
Request for Stakeholder Feedback on Consumer Protection Documents – DUE March 20, 2026
The Agency and Program Administrators request stakeholder feedback on proposed changes to the Consumer Protection Handbook. Proposed changes include the following: The Agency and Program Administrators are also proposing updates to the Contract Requirements, including reorganization and reformatting of the requirements to increase clarity and flow, and clarifying requirements. Because the Contract Requirements have been […]
Community-Driven Community Solar Application Review and Scoring Schedule for 45-Day Application Window
As a result of the Modified 2024 Long-Term Plan, the Program opened an additional 45-day Community-Driven Community Solar (“CDCS”) application window on January 16, 2026. Since the submission deadline for this window was March 2, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CPT, applications are no longer accepted for this 45-day window. Submitted projects will be reviewed and scored in accordance with the CDCS scoring guidelines previously published in both the 2024 Long-Term Plan (pg. […]
Case Study: How Pontiac, IL Converted 42 Acres into a Productive Agrivoltaics Community Solar Project Through Illinois Shines
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 100% agricultural production at the end of this project’s lifecycle. In addition to generating renewable energy, the project is […]
Upcoming 45-Day CDCS Application Window Close, Subscriber Management Webinar and Launch, March 2026 Consumer Protection Working Group
The IPA announces new information related to the Illinois Shines program. This announcement includes: Coming Up in Illinois Shines, Stakeholder Support, Program News, and Reference and Reminders. The full announcement is available here. Topics include the following: Coming up in Illinois Shines Stakeholder Support Program News Reference and Reminders Thank you!Illinois Shines [email protected]