Community-Driven Community Solar
The Community-Driven Community Solar (“CDCS”) category includes community solar projects up to 10 MW that meet the criteria to be classified as community-driven. The CDCS category will comprise at least 5% of Illinois Shines generally and these projects are intended to provide a more direct and tangible connection and benefits to the communities in which they operate.
For assistance in this project category, contact the Community Solar Sector Strategist, Jess Blue, at [email protected] or the Program Administrator team at [email protected].
Community Solar Project Timelines
There are a few important processes and steps that are helpful to understand regarding Community Solar project applications:
*With limited TCS capacity, a scoring mechanism is used when the annual block of capacity is exceeded on the first day (“Day One” applications) of the Program Year. TCS projects submitted after Day One are reviewed and scored in order on a rolling basis, and if eligible, added to waitlist.
**See applicable Public Schools application deadlines in the Program Guidebook.
Category-Specific Resources
Community Solar Subscriber 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 (“AVs”) and Designees the ability to view and manage subscriptions, view unsubscribed Disclosure Forms, and import and export subscription data. Additionally, AVs will have the ability to manage project permissions and assign Designees to view/manage community solar projects. Click on each of the following sections for details on the development timelines:
Mid-January: AV Testing Session (Core Functionality)
The Program Administrator invited AVs and Designees, who participated in the 2025 AV/Designee Subscriber Management Working Group, to participate in a live demo and testing session, where AVs and Designees had the opportunity to provide feedback on the new feature.
February: Feature Enhancement Development and Data Import
The Program Administrator will review the feedback from the AV Testing Session of the core functionality and consider potential enhancements to the Portal feature before official launch.
Mid-February: Disclosure Form Transfer Process
The Illinois Shines Program Administrator has developed the Disclosure Form Transfer process, which allows Disclosure Forms to be transferred from one entity to another in circumstances where written requests are provided to the Program Administrator from all parties involved. This will provide flexibility to Approved Vendors (“AVs”) and Designees should they need to manage Disclosure Forms that were not generated directly by that specific AV or Designee.
Based on the permissions settings in the new Subscription Management Portal Feature, AVs or Designees who did not originally generate a Disclosure Form will not be able to subscribe that Disclosure Form to a Community Solar project. The Disclosure Form Transfer Process will support these circumstances where there is a mismatch between the entity who generated the Disclosure Form and entity who is managing the Disclosure Forms and subscriptions for the project. The Program Administrator has reached out to AVs where disclosure form transfers may be necessary, asking AVs to submit requests if necessary. The full process is outlined in the Subscriber Management Training Guide.
Mid-February: Data Import
To support the launch of the Community Solar Subscription Management Feature, the Program Administrator will import all current subscriber data into the Portal in late February/early March, including the most recent subscriber data from the December Semi-Annual Verifications and the December–February Part II Quarterly Period. Prior to final subscriber data import, the Program Administrator will perform a series of data validation checks on all subscriber records. Subscriber records with any data validation errors will not be imported into the Portal. The Program Administrator will identify records omitted from the final data import due to data validation errors and share those records with Approved Vendors (“AVs”). AVs will be responsible for correcting the subscriber data errors that prevented validation and importing the updated data into the Portal once the Community Solar Subscription Management Feature is live. AVs must ensure the subscriber data in the Portal is accurate and up to date. Any records that are not imported into the Portal will not be considered for subscriber verification purposes or Annual Report daily average calculations.
Please see Appendix A of the Subscriber Management Training Guide for a list of data validations.
The Program Administrator will reach out to AVs once the final subscriber data import has been completed and outline any outstanding action items and next steps.
Late-February: Final Subscriber Data Import
The Program Administrator will import current subscriber data into the Portal that passes all required data validation checks. Any subscription rows that do not pass required data validation checks will not be imported. The Program Administrator will communicate to AVs and Designees that have impacted records to explain the data issues and how the AV can resolve the issues by updating the subscriber data and importing the data after official feature launch.
Late-February: Subscriber Management Live Webinar
The Program will host a live webinar on February 26, 2026, from 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. CPT. The webinar will provide a live demo, recorded reference resource, and detail the feature’s development, benefits, and upcoming changes to subscriber data management processes. Please register with this link.
March: Official launch of the Community Solar Subscription Management Feature.
Feature goes live in Portal. SharePoint-based process is retired.
Post-Launch: Outstanding action items must be completed by AVs.
To support the transition and the full launch of the Feature, the Program Administrator will be requiring AVs to complete several action items prior to and after launch. Each action item is listed below with a short description of the request and expected timeline. The Program Administrator will reach out to all AVs in the coming weeks with any additional updates and requests to complete these outstanding action items.
Reviewing and confirming Designees by project: The week of February 2, 2026, the Program Administrator reached out to AVs to confirm current Designees by project by February 11, 2026. Generally, Disclosure Forms and their associated subscriptions will only be able to be managed by the “owner” of the form, which will default to the AV and/or Designee named on the form when it was initially created. The Program Administrator will be able to transfer Disclosure Forms to a new “owner” and will identify records where the current Designee does not match the Designee on the Disclosure Forms. For these mismatched records, AVs will need to consider requesting a Disclosure Forms transfer to make records editable based on the confirmed Designee associations.
Reviewing and curing data validation errors post launch: The Program Administrator will import subscriber data, which must meet required data validations, into the Portal prior to launch. Data records that fail any data validations will not be imported by the Program Administrator. These data validation errors have been identified in subscriber workbooks for remediation. The Program Administrator will identify any remaining records with data validation errors which will be omitted from the final data import. AVs will need to cure data validation issues and import the omitted subscriptions into the Portal after March 2026, once the feature is fully functional.
Setting up project delegation: After feature launch, AVs will be responsible for delegating Designees to manage Community Solar projects in the Portal. Delegating a Designee to manage a project will allow that Designee to view all subscription records for a project. However, personally identifiable information will be redacted from records where a Designee is not the “owner”.
Retiring SharePoint-based process: AVs will need to review the accuracy of subscription records and delegate Designees to all Part II Verified projects in the Portal after March 2026, once the feature is fully functional.
Stakeholder Support
To support the launch of the new Community Solar Subscriber Management Feature, a variety of resources will be provided to ensure AVs and Designees have adequate support for a smooth transition to the new features. Those support and resources are detailed below:
Live Webinar:
The Illinois Shines Program Administrator held a live webinar showcasing a walkthrough of the new Portal feature and its functionalities on February 26, 2026.The webinar Recording, presentation slides, pre-recorded demo video, and Q&A from the webinar are now available.
Subscriber Management Training Guide:
This Training Guide (updated June 8, 2026) details the functionalities of the new feature, FAQs, and troubleshooting scenarios.
Office Hours:
The Illinois Shines Program hosts weekly Office Hours run by the Strategy team. This will be a resource for AVs and Designees. Members of the Contracts team will also be present to provide specific support for Subscriber Management.
General Customer Support:
The Customer Support team will be readily available to provide support via phone and email.
The Illinois Shines Program Administrator looks forward to launching the new Community Solar Subscription Management Feature. Thank you for your continued collaboration and please reach out if you have questions or concerns.
Community-Driven Community Solar Scoring Criteria for Program Year 2026-27
Community-Driven Community Solar Scoring Criteria for Program Year 2025-26
Community-Driven Community Solar (“CDCS”) – Part II Demonstration of Project Commitments and Permissible Changes
All Community-Driven Community Solar (“CDCS”) projects submitted during or after the 2022-23 Program Year will be evaluated against the scoring guidelines outlined in Appendix F of the Program Guidebook. At Part II application review, the Program Administrator will request confirmation that any commitments made in the Part I application were fulfilled throughout project development and installation. The Program Administrator will only enforce completion of items proposed in the Part I narrative application and awarded points in the Community Driven Community Solar (“CDCS”) Part I scoring process.
Any changes to commitments made in the Part I application submission which resulted in more favorable scoring (and thus a higher likelihood of contract award) will be considered an event of default under the REC Delivery Contract resulting in the full forfeiture of collateral, with the system unable to be Part II verified.
At Part II application submission, please submit a detailed narrative demonstrating how the Part I scoring commitments have been achieved and include supporting documentation. The Program Administrator may request additional information during the Part II review process. The scoring commitments must be approved by the Program Administrator during the Part II review process, prior to Part II Verification of the project.
Please note: The IPA Act defines “Community” as a social unit in which people come together regularly to effect change; a social unit in which participants are marked by a cooperative spirit, a common purpose, or shared interests or characteristics; or a space understood by its residents to be delineated through geographic boundaries or landmarks. This definition was utilized to assess benefits and award points for all projects, including those submitted in the 2022-23 Program Year.
Approved Vendors must submit proper documentation for each scoring criterion sought based on the following table:
| Primary Scoring Criterion | What should be submitted at Part II |
| A. Community ownership or community wealth-building through having a minimum of 50% of the ownership of the project held by community residents or non-profit organizations which directly serve the community where the project is located. This would include having members of the community being able to participate in decisions regarding the governance, operation, maintenance, and upgrades of and to the project; and members of that community benefiting from the project through subscriptions to the project. | Please detail how the percent ownership claimed in Part I has been achieved and provide supporting documentation. Supporting documentation can include proof of ownership by community residents or non-profit organizations and demonstration of decision-making ability and participation. Community subscriptions will be confirmed during the Part II subscriber verification process prior to Part II verification. |
| B. Additional direct and indirect benefits, beyond project participation as a subscriber, including, but not limited to, economic, environmental, social, cultural, and physical benefits. The application must quantify the value of these benefits and they must represent at least 20% of the REC contract value. Direct benefits can include, but are not limited to, financial benefits for the owner(s) and subscribers, such as bill savings, revenues from project ownership, tax credits, and the financial value of the project, as well as job creation, direct income, and increased economic activity in the defined geographic community. Indirect benefits can include, but are not limited to, demonstration of environmental, educational, and cultural benefits. |
Please show that the commitments made in Part I were maintained, addressing each commitment and include any contracts, agreements, or supporting documentation. Here are examples of supporting documentation: – For a donation, please provide evidence of donation (per IRS): a bank record or a written communication from the qualified organization containing the name of the organization, the amount, and the date of the contribution. This could be in the form of a receipt or an acknowledgement letter/proof of charitable contribution. – For subscriber bill savings, please calculate the annual projected bill savings over the 15-year life of the project. – For increased economic activity (local labor, materials, etc.), please provide contracts/receipts of the work that has already occurred and the planned work that will occur over the life of the contract. – For local taxes, please provide a copy of the annual tax bill. – For demonstration of environmental, educational, and cultural benefits, please provide a narrative related to these benefits and include any relevant documentation of such community benefits. The total local contributions of the contract value over 15 years must be maintained, but changes to the specific contributions and timelines proposed in the narrative are permitted. The Program Administrator may request more information regarding these commitments in the Annual Report. |
| C. Meaningful involvement in project organization and development by community members, non-profit organizations, or public entities located in or serving the community. Meaningful involvement in project organization as used herein can mean, but is not limited to, a process that consists of public input, participation and engagement in the program design process, including workshops, webinars, and public comment periods all of which afford stakeholders (those who have an interest or stake in an issue, such as individuals, interest groups, and communities) the opportunity to influence decisions that impact their community. |
Please detail the community, non-profit, and or public entity involvement that occurred during project organization and development. Please address each commitment stated in Part I and show how it has been completed. Small changes in the involvement of community members, non-profit organizations or public entities stated in Part I are permitted if the overall level of commitment is maintained. |
| D. Engagement in project operations and management by nonprofit organizations, public entities, or community members. Engagement as used herein can mean, but is not limited to, continuous community participation and consultation as projects are built, operated, and maintained in a way that affords opportunities for the community to weigh in on and make decisions regarding the project. |
Please detail the existing and planned future engagement that will occur throughout the 15-year life of the REC contract. Please address each commitment stated in Part I and show how it has been or will be completed. Small changes in the engagement of community members, non-profit organizations or public entities stated in Part I are permitted if the overall level of commitment is maintained. The Program Administrator may request more information regarding these commitments in the Annual Report. |
| E. Whether the project is developed in response to a site-specific RFP developed by community members, or a non-profit organization or public entity located in or serving the community. | No explanation or documentation required, as this was verified in Part I application review. |
| Secondary Scoring Criterion | What should be submitted at Part II |
| A. Projects that are developed in collaboration with or to provide complementary opportunities for the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, the Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program, the Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program, the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, or the Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program. Complementary opportunities as used herein can mean, but is not limited to utilizing graduates of job training programs in project development; hiring job training graduates permanently for future projects, not just the applicant project; an expansion of the goals of the job training programs to include ‘business training,’ on how to develop a project, get financing, recruit customers, etc. |
Please demonstrate how the project has collaborated with or provided complementary opportunities for the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, the Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program, the Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program, the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, or the Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program. If these Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) workforce programs are still in development at the time of Part II submission, please provide an explanation as to why the collaboration/complementary opportunities have not occurred and a written commitment/plan for future collaboration or complementary opportunities over the project’s life. The Program Administrator may request more information regarding these commitments in the Annual Report. |
| B. Projects that increase the diversity of locations of community solar projects in Illinois, including by locating in urban areas and population centers. | No explanation or documentation required, as this was verified in Part I application review. |
| C. Projects that are located in Equity Investment Eligible Communities. | No explanation or documentation required, as this was verified in Part I application review. |
| D. Projects that are not greenfield projects. | No explanation or documentation required, as this was verified in Part I application review. |
| E. Projects that serve only local subscribers. Local subscribers are subscribers in the same county as the project, or if that project’s county population is below 50,000, then also in adjacent counties. |
Please submit subscriber information (as of the energization date) including proof that minimum subscriber commitments have been met (50% of capacity must be subscribed, and all subscribers must be local). Also include the percentage of small subscribers (as a share of total system capacity). This information will be verified during Part II subscriber verification. |
| F. Projects that have a nameplate capacity that does not exceed 500 kW. | No explanation or documentation required, as this was verified in Part I application review. |
| G. Projects that are developed by an Equity Eligible Contractor. | Please demonstrate that all “project development work” (all construction and electrical work on a project, and project-specific site assessment work such as permitting, legal, and other site-specific development work, including work that may have already been undertaken prior to project application) has been completed by the equity eligible contractor (EEC) stated in the Part I application. Non-site specific development functions (such as general sales and marketing activities) will not be considered as project development work. Documentation can include an electrical procurement construction (EPC) contract, or other relevant contractual agreements. |
| H. Projects that otherwise meaningfully advance the goals of providing more direct and tangible connection and benefits to the communities which they serve or in which they operate and increasing the variety of community solar locations, models, and options in Illinois. | Please demonstrate via narrative and relevant supporting documentation how the project is working towards the goals of providing more direct and tangible connection and benefits to the communities which they serve, and a plan to continue this work throughout the life of the project. |
After Part II Verification
As most of the scoring criteria for CDCS projects will take place during the project development cycle (thus take place across the Part I and Part II application process), there is a limited scope of criteria that the Agency will need to monitor after Part II verification. If applicable, the Program Administrator will seek to monitor some requirements throughout the life of the REC Delivery Contract. The Program Administrator will request updated reporting at the Annual Report each July for such commitments and will also seek to ensure that projects that have made these commitments are in compliance via random project inspections. Failure to uphold these commitments may result in an Event of Default under the REC Contract.
2023-24 CDCS Waitlisted Projects Awarded Capacity on June 3, 2024 in Program Year 2024-25
On June 3, 2024 Community-Driven Community Solar capacity for the 2024-25 Program Year opened with 11 MW for Group A and 25 MW for Group B. Capacity was first allocated to projects on the 2023-24 Group A and Group B Waitlists. The list of awarded waitlist projects can be found below.
Program Year 2025-2026 Community-Driven Community Solar Scores
On June 2, 2025, Community-Driven Community Solar capacity for the 2025-2026 Program Year opened and Approved Vendors were able to submit CDCS applications. In accordance with the CDCS scoring guidelines previously published in both the 2024 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (pg. 173) and the Program Guidebook (pg. 166), the Program Administrator has scored all CDCS projects submitted during the 90 day application window. These scores are published below, and the full CDCS scoring announcement can be found here.
| 2025-2026 CDCS Solar Scoring | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| 2025-2026 CDCS Solar Scoring | November 21, 2025 |
December 17, 2025 Random Selection Event
On December 17, 2025, a Program Year 2025-26 CDCS Random Selection event, open to stakeholder attendance, was conducted. A recording of the event and the presentation slides are available on the Program’s Webinar page and linked below. The resulting spreadsheet detailing Group A and Group B project awards and waitlists for each group (projects receiving scores of at least 10.0) is available below.
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. 173) and the Program Guidebook (pg. 166). Once scores are finalized, projects scoring a minimum of 10 points will be placed on a waitlist for when capacity becomes available. Any project submitted during this 45-day application window which qualifies for the waitlist will be placed behind projects submitted during the initial 90-day application window, regardless of score.
Please note: Due to the re-opening of the 2024 Long-Term Plan, an interim reallocation of 50% of remaining unused capacity on April 1, 2026, will be distributed among waitlisted projects across Program categories as the waitlist exists on April 1, 2026. If there is enough remaining unused capacity to award projects on the CDCS Group A and Group B waitlists, projects will be awarded based on the waitlist order on April 1, 2026.
- Application Review Period – (March 2 – March 20) Applications undergo initial review by Program Administrator (Approximately 3 weeks)
- Application Cure Period (March 23 – March 27) – AVs cure deficiencies identified by Program Administrator (Approximately 1 week)
- Application Scoring Period (March 30 – April 3) – Program Administrator continues the scoring process for all relevant applications (those submitted without deficiencies and those that successfully cure deficiencies during the cure period) (Approximately 1 week)
- Scoring Cure Period (April 6 – April 10) – AVs are offered a chance to review initial score, dispute, and resolve any discrepancies (Approximately 1 week)
- Scores published (April 15) – AVs wishing to appeal their project score will have one week from the receipt of scores to submit an appeal to the Program Administrator (appeals due April 22, 2026)
- Random selection event (April 29) – If necessary, to ordinally rank projects with tied scores.
- Final scores and project selection published (May 1)
Please see the full announcement for further details.
Program Year 2025-2026 Community-Driven Community Solar Scores for the 45-Day Application Window
In accordance with the CDCS scoring guidelines previously published in both the 2024 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (pg. 173) and the Program Guidebook (pg. 166), the Program Administrator has scored all CDCS projects submitted during the 45 day application window. These scores are published below, and the full CDCS scoring announcement can be found here.
| 2025-2026 CDCS Solar Scoring | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| 2025-2026 CDCS Solar Scoring | April 15, 2026 |
April 29, 2026 Random Selection Event
Program Year 2024-2025 Community-Driven Community Solar Scores
On June 3, 2024, Community-Driven Community Solar capacity for the 2024-2025 Program Year opened and Approved Vendors were able to submit CDCS applications. In accordance with the CDCS scoring guidelines previously published in both the 2024 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (pg. 173) and the Program Guidebook (pg. 141), the Program Administrator has scored all CDCS projects submitted during the 90 day application window. These scores are published below, and the full CDCS scoring announcement can be found here.
| 2024-2025 CDCS Solar Scoring | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| 2024-2025 CDCS Solar Scoring | Revised December 5, 2024. Original file November 8, 2024 |
December 11, 2024 Random Selection Event
On December 11, 2024, a Program Year 2024-25 CDCS Random Selection event, open to stakeholder attendance, was conducted. A recording of the event, the presentation slides, and Q&A are available on the Program’s Webinar page and linked below. The resulting spreadsheet detailing Group A and Group B project awards and waitlists for each group (projects receiving scores of at least 10.0) is available below.
Program Year 2023-2024 Community-Driven Community Solar Scores
On June 1, 2023, Community-Driven Community Solar capacity for the 2023-2024 Program Year opened and Approved Vendors were able to submit CDCS applications. In accordance with the CDCS scoring guidelines previously published in both the 2022 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (pg. 166) and the Program Guidebook (pg. 123) the Program Administrator has scored all CDCS projects submitted during the 90 day application window.These scores are published below, and the full CDCS scoring announcement can be found here.
| 2023-2024 CDCS Solar Scoring | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| 2023-2024 CDCS Solar Scoring | October 30, 2023 |
December 6, 2023 Random Selection Event
CDCS Capacity for the 2022-2023 Program Year was fully awarded during the Random Selection Event. Please see the announcement for more details. Projects submitted after June 1, 2023 will be prioritized and processed in the order received and will be added to the applicable waitlists for the CDCS blocks if the project meets the 10.0 point minimum threshold. These waitlists are published on the Block Capacity Dashboard and are updated regularly. Waitlisted projects will be eligible for new capacity released for the 2024-2025 Program Year beginning June 1, 2024.
Program Year 2022-2023 Community-Driven Community Solar Scores
On September 1, 2022, Community-Driven Community Solar capacity for the 2022-2023 Program Year opened and Approved Vendors were able to submit CDCS applications. In accordance with the CDCS scoring guidelines previously published in both the 2022 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (pg. 166), the Program Guidebook (pg. 22), and the Primary and Secondary Selection criteria published on May 26, 2023 the Program Administrator has scored all CDCS projects submitted during the 90 day application window that are Part I processed.
These scores are published below, and the full CDCS scoring announcement can be found here.
| 2022-2023 CDCS Solar Scoring | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| 2022-2023 CDCS Solar Scoring | July 26, 2023 |
July 26, 2023 Random Selection Event
Primary & Secondary Selection Criteria
The Community Driven Community Solar (CDCS) application window for the 2023-2024 Program Year closes at 11:59 p.m. CST on August 30, 2023.
The CDCS category intends to provide more direct and tangible connection and benefits to the communities which CDCS projects serve or in which they operate and, additionally, to increase the variety of community solar locations, models, and options in Illinois. The IPA Act defines “Community” as a social unit in which people come together regularly to effect change; a social unit in which participants are marked by a cooperative spirit, a common purpose, or shared interests or characteristics; or a space understood by its residents to be delineated through geographic boundaries or landmarks.
This consistent interpretation of “community” will be used across all projects. In Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties, “community” will be limited to township as these are the most populated counties in the state. In all other counties, community will be considered the whole county.
After the Scoring Cure Period concludes, projects will be selected from the application pool in the order of highest to lowest score until the block is fully allocated. A minimum score of 6 points must be achieved to be eligible for a REC contract via the CDCS category. Random selection will be utilized as a tiebreaker only for equally scored projects to fill available capacity, if any. However, should the capacity available be so small as to only accommodate one or more projects below a certain size, then the Agency may only consider those projects small enough to not exceed that remaining capacity. After project selection, projects that have a minimum score of 10 points will be placed on a waitlist for the 2024-2025 Program year. The following rubric has been developed for the CDCS scoring process.
Primary Selection Criteria – Maximum of 20 points available
| Criteria | 1 Point | 2 Points | 3 Points | 4 Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Community ownership or community wealth-building through having a minimum of 50% of the ownership of the project held by community residents or non-profit organizations which directly serve the community where the project is located. This would include having members of the community being able to participate in decisions regarding the governance, operation, maintenance, and upgrades of and to the project; and members of that community benefiting from the project through subscriptions to the project. | 50% ownership | 60% ownership | 70% ownership | 80% and up ownership |
B. Additional direct and indirect benefits, beyond project participation as a subscriber, including, but not limited to, economic, environmental, social, cultural, and physical benefits. The application must quantify the value of these benefits and they must represent at least 20% of the REC contract value.
| 20% of REC contract value | 25% of REC contract value | 30% of REC contract value | More than 35% of REC contract value |
C. Meaningful involvement in project organization and development by community members, non-profit organizations, or public entities located in or serving the community.
| 3 or fewer community members or organizations engaged in Moderate project organization and development | 3 or fewer community members or organizations engaged in Substantial project organization and development | 4 or more community members or organizations engaged in Moderate project organization and development | 4 or more community members or organizations engaged in Substantial project organization and development |
D. Engagement in project operations and management by nonprofit organizations, public entities, or community members.
| Minimal community members’ or organizations’ involvement or plans for involvement in project operations and management. | Moderate community members’ or organizations’ involvement or plans for involvement in project operations and management. | Substantial community members’ or organizations’ involvement or plans for involvement in project operations and management | Extensive or more community members’ or organizations’ involvement or plans for involvement in project operations and management |
| E. Whether the project is developed in response to a site-specific RFP developed by community members, or a non-profit organization or public entity located in or serving the community. | – | – | – | Was indeed developed in response to site-specific RFP |
Secondary Selection Criteria – Maximum of 16 points available
| Criteria | 1 Point | 2 Points |
|---|---|---|
A. Projects that are developed in collaboration with or to provide complementary opportunities for the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, the Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program, the Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program, the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, or the Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program.
| Provide complementary opportunities to listed programs | Developed in collaboration w/listed programs |
| B. Projects that increase the diversity of locations of community solar projects in Illinois, including by locating in urban areas and population centers. | Population of locality is 50,000 – 69,999 (Locality meaning city, town, or village) | Population of locality is 70,000 or more (Locality meaning city, town, or village) |
| C. Projects that are located in Equity Investment Eligible Communities. | – | Whole project needs to be sited in EIEC; projects that are only partially in an EIEC will be reviewed on case-by-case basis. |
| D. Projects that are not greenfield projects. | – | Definition of greenfield: Greenfield project means a project proposed at a site that is either previously undeveloped land or agricultural land and that does not meet the definition of a brownfield site |
| E. Projects that serve only local subscribers. Local subscribers are subscribers in the same county as the project, or if that project’s county population is below 50,000, then also in adjacent counties. | – | Need to serve local subscribers for the length of REC contract. |
| F. Projects that have a nameplate capacity that does not exceed 500 kW. | – | Nameplate capacity (project AC size) is 500 kW or less. |
| G. Projects that are developed by an equity eligible contractor. | – | All development work is done by the EEC.1 |
| H. Projects that otherwise meaningfully advance the goals of providing more direct and tangible connection and benefits to the communities which they serve or in which they operate and increasing the variety of community solar locations, models, and options in Illinois. | Need to both provide connection/benefits OR increase variety of locations/models/options | Need to both provide connection/benefits AND increase variety of locations/models/options |
1 For purposes of this category, “project development work” refers to all construction and electrical work on a project, and project-specific site assessment work such as permitting, legal, and other site-specific development work, including work that may have already been undertaken prior to project application. Non-site specific development functions (such as general sales and marketing activities) will not be considered as project development work. This definition also differs from the “project workforce” definition utilized for the Minimum Equity Standards as outlined in P.A. 102-0662, for which a firm’s Illinois-based employees are included in the “project workforce” regardless of function.
Community-Driven Community-Solar Case Study
Please see the Program’s new Community-Driven Community Solar Case Study to learn how one Illinois city achieved affordable clean energy and community benefits through innovative Illinois Shines solar development.
Category-Specific Updates
This blog includes key items specific to this Illinois Shines project category, but AVs and Designees are still expected to read all Program announcements in full, which contain other critical Program items and updates.
Small Subscriber Requirements and Invoicing Under the 20-Year REC Contract
Project Labor Agreement Submission Requirements and Process for Community Solar Projects
Community-Driven Community Solar Application Review and Scoring Schedule
Fall 2026 AV and EEC Roundtables
Community Solar Overview
