Glossary
This glossary defines some terms commonly used at the Illinois Shines website and within Program materials about Illinois Shines participants, project and program terminology, and legal references and requirements.
Approved Vendor
Solar contractor or developer that enrolls solar projects in the Illinois Shines program and also sells the Renewable Energy Credits (“RECs”) generated from solar projects to the Contracting Utility.
Contracting Utility
Utility company (Ameren Illinois, ComEd, or MidAmerican) that contracts with Approved Vendors to buy the RECs from solar projects. May be different than the Service Utility of a customer.
Designee
Third-party entities that work with an Approved Vendor, and who have direct interaction with end-use customers. Current Illinois Shines Designee types include installers, entities that perform maintenance and repair, warranty holders, marketing, firms, lead generators, and sales organizations. Designees of Designees are referred to as Nested Designees.
Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC)
A business that is majority-owned by eligible persons, or a nonprofit or cooperative that is majority-governed by eligible persons or is a natural person that is an eligible person offering personal services as an independent contractor.
Equity Eligible Persons
Equity Eligible Persons are:
a. people who graduated from or are current or former participants in the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, the Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program, Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program, or the Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program, and the Solar Training Pipeline and Multicultural Jobs Program created in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(3) of Section 16-108.21 of the Public Utilities Act;
b. people who are graduates of or currently enrolled in the foster care system;
c. people who were formerly incarcerated
d. people whose primary residence is in an equity investment eligible community (https://energyequity.illinois.gov/resources/equity-investment-eligible-community-map.html)
Equity Investment Eligible Community/Eligible Community – An eligible community is defined as the following areas (1) R3 Areas as established pursuant to Section 10-40 of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, where residents have historically been excluded from economic opportunities, including opportunities in the energy sector; and (2) Environmental justice communities, as defined by the Illinois Power Agency pursuant to the Illinois Power Agency Act, but excluding racial and ethnic indicators, where residents have historically been subject to disproportionate burdens of pollution, including pollution from the energy sector.
Illinois Commerce Commission (“ICC”)
The State Agency charged with regulating public utilities in Illinois, as well as approving aspects of the Illinois Shines program.
Illinois Power Agency (“IPA”)
The State Agency charged with administering the procurement of renewable energy resources to meet Illinois’ renewable energy portfolio standard, in addition to procuring electric power supply for eligible retail customers of electric utilities and other responsibilities.
Program Administrator
The IPA’s consultant responsible for running day-to-day operations of the Illinois Shines program. Energy Solutions has been designated as the current Program Administrator.
Service Utility
Utility company in whose service area your solar project is located. Your Service Utility might be a municipal electric utility or rural electric cooperative. Also, your Service Utility will not always be the same as a project’s Contracting Utility.
Stranded Customer
Illinois Shines Distributed Generation (on-site solar) customers whose Approved Vendor and/or Designee is unable or unwilling to (a) complete the solar project installation and/or (b) act as the Approved Vendor for the project application. This may be because the Approved Vendor and/or Designee has gone out of business or ceased/limited operations, is unable to meet Program requirements, or is suspended due to disciplinary action and is prohibited from advancing projects through the application process.
Subscriber
“Subscriber” is defined in Section 1-10 of the IPA Act as a person who (i) takes delivery service from an electric utility, and (ii) has a subscription of no less than 200 watts to a community renewable generation project that is located in the electric utility’s service area. No subscriber’s subscriptions may total more than 40% of the nameplate capacity of an individual community renewable generation project. Entities that are affiliated by virtue of a common parent shall not represent multiple subscriptions that total more than 40% of the nameplate capacity of an individual community renewable generation project.
Advance of Capital
A feature of the Equity Accountability System, Advance of Capital is the ability of Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs) to request an advance of a portion of REC Contract value prior to the associated project’s Energization. This capital advancement pre-energization is intended to serve EEC-certified businesses exhibiting true need and to support a more diverse Approved Vendor pool. Requests must be submitted with the Part I application and are limited to projects participating in the EEC category of Illinois Shines.
Block Capacity Dashboard
The Block Capacity Dashboard provides a breakout of project capacity for each Illinois Shines project category. It reflects final capacity allocated for each Program Year, and details capacity allocations and statuses in several subcategories (Allocated, Batched, Submitted, Available, and Waitlisted Capacity Due to Developer Cap).
Community Solar
A solar project which (1) is interconnected to an electric utility, a municipal utility, or a rural electric cooperative, and (2) allows subscribers to pay for shares or some other “interest” in the project, receiving bill credits in exchange. Also known as a “photovoltaic community renewable generation project.” (Note: There are two distinct types of Community Solar projects in the Program, Traditional Community Solar projects and Community-Driven Community Solar projects).
Distributed Generation
A solar system either on a roof or mounted on the ground, that generates electricity that is used directly on site. Distributed Generation projects are sometimes described as sitting “behind” a customer’s electrical meter.
Group
One of the two Groups used to classify a system in the Program based on location:
- Group A – Ameren Illinois, MidAmerican, Mt. Carmel, Rural Electric Cooperatives and Municipal Utilities located in MISO
- Group B – ComEd, and Rural Electric Cooperatives and Municipal Utilities located in PJM
Illinois Shines
Illinois Shines supports the development of new photovoltaic distributed generation systems and new photovoltaic community renewable generation projects in Illinois through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (“RECs”).
Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA)
The Illinois Solar for All program promotes development of new photovoltaic distributed generation and new community renewable generation projects that serve low- and middle-income households, and non-profits and public facilities that serve and are located in environmental justice communities or income-eligible communities.
Interconnection Agreement
An agreement with the utility to interconnect the photovoltaic community solar or distributed generation system to the utility’s distribution system.
Project Categories
A classification based on a system size and type. The Program has six categories: Small Distributed Generation (DG) for DG systems 25 kW and below, Large Distributed Generation for DG systems above 25 kW up to 5 MW in size, Community Solar, Community-Driven Community Solar, Public Schools, and Equity Eligible Contractors.
Renewable Energy Credit (REC)
When renewable energy is generated, two things are created: (1) the actual electricity, and (2) the environmental benefits associated with the fact that the electricity was produced without burning fossil fuels like coal or natural gas. Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are the way that electricity and those environmental benefits are tracked and accounted for. One credit equals one MWh of generated energy.
System
A solar photovoltaic array and all associated equipment necessary for its generation of electricity and connection to the distribution grid.
Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (“CEJA”)
CEJA (Public Act 102-0662) is a comprehensive energy legislation that expanded the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard and strengthens the diversity, equity, and labor standards applicable to the growing clean energy economy. CEJA tasked the Illinois Power Agency with a number of crucial implementation activities, including expansion of the Illinois Shines program to add new project categories and other enhancements. CEJA expanded on the Future Energy Jobs Act (Public Act 99-0906) which reflected significant collaboration and negotiation between energy companies, environmental groups, and consumer advocates, and mandated higher renewable energy targets in the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, including requiring 100 percent use of renewable energy sources in Illinois by 2050 and provisions to make solar energy more available to low- and moderate-income communities.
Consumer Protection Handbook
The Consumer Protection Handbook outlines consumer protection requirements for Approved Vendors and Designees that participate in the Illinois Power Agency’s Illinois Shines Program and/or the Illinois Solar for All (“ILSFA”) Program, including but not limited to sales and marketing activities, requirements for language used in solicitations, the use of standard Disclosure Forms and requirements for contract execution, substantive requirements for Program offers, and more, as well as a comprehensive complaint, investigation, and disciplinary process for Program violations.
Equity Accountability System (“EAS”)
The Equity Accountability System is established by P.A. 102-0662 and includes the Minimum Equity Standards for all renewable energy procurements, the Equity Eligible Contractor category of the Illinois Shines program, and the equity prioritization for noncompetitive procurements. The EAS is to be successful in advancing priority access to the clean energy economy for businesses and workers from communities that have been excluded from economic opportunities in the energy sector, have been subject to disproportionate levels of pollution, and have disproportionately experienced negative public health outcomes.
Illinois Clean Energy Dashboard
The Illinois Clean Energy Dashboard is a data website created by the Illinois Power Agency for residents, businesses, and other stakeholders, designed to track the progress and impact of renewable energy development across Illinois. The Clean Energy Dashboard presents complex metrics through intuitive data visualizations to allow interested parties to view key trends in renewable energy generation and geographical energy capacities, and to quickly answer common questions about the growth of renewable energy in Illinois.
Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan
The Agency’s Long-Term Renewable Resources Plan covers all Agency activities related to the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard, which includes the Illinois Shines program. The Agency updates the Long-Term Plan at least every two years. Each updated version of the Long-Term Plan is litigated before the ICC, and then approved by the ICC through a final order. The current version and past versions can be found here.
Minimum Equity Standard
Section 1-75(c-10) of the Illinois Power Agency Act (“IPA Act”) requires that the Illinois Power Agency (“IPA” or “Agency”) establish an Equity Accountability System, which includes a Minimum Equity Standard (“MES”) for the project workforce of entities applying for renewable energy credit (REC) contracts under the IPA’s Indexed REC procurements and Illinois Shines program. The MES requires a certain percentage of an Approved Vendor or Designee’s workforce to be Equity Eligible Persons. The purpose of the MES is to ensure increasing access to employment in the Illinois clean energy sector for those who historically have been excluded from such opportunities.
Net Metering
A provision in an electric utility’s tariff that allows for crediting a customer’s bill for all or some of the production of a distributed generation or community solar facility which has been exported to the distribution grid.
Prevailing Wage
A minimum compensation level set by the Illinois Department of Labor by county for construction activities related to public works. Section 1-75(c) (1)(Q) of the IPA Act (20 ILCS 3855) as modified by Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (Public Act 102-0662) requires that individuals engaged in the construction of applicable projects submitted to the Illinois Shines program are paid at least the relevant prevailing wage.
Program Guidebook
The Program Guidebook is a document created by the Illinois Power Agency and the Program Administrator to provide existing and prospective Program participants with necessary guidance about application requirements, participation requirements, Program processes, and other aspects of the Program. The Program Guidebook is reviewed and updated on periodic basis by the Program Administrator, Energy Solutions, Inc., in consultation with the Illinois Power Agency to reflect changes in law and/or orders of the Illinois Commerce Commission (“ICC”) which impact the Illinois Shines program, or the development of other requirements through separate comment and requirement publishing processes.
Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)
The state-mandated Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires Illinois utilities to demonstrate that a certain portion of their energy is generated by renewable sources.
