Project Status

Project Look Up Tool

Customers who have a Distributed Generation (on-site) solar project participating in the Illinois Shines program can use this tool to view the status of their project application in the Program’s application process. Knowing where your project’s application is in the application process helps you better understand how close your Approved Vendor is to receiving the incentive payment for the project.

To find your project status, enter only one of the following:

  • Your Application ID;
  • Your Disclosure Form ID;
  • or your Customer Email Address.

The project look up cannot be completed if more than one field includes data. Please see Key Terms at the bottom of this page for further information.

Your Application ID is numerical and can be between 1 to 6 digits. Your Approved Vendor may have given you an Application ID, but is not required to.

Your Disclosure Form ID is numerical and can be between 1 to 6 digits. For Disclosure Forms generated after June 1, 2023, the number is found at the top of the first page after the Program brochures, and is labeled “ID#”. On Disclosure Forms generated before June 1, 2023, the number appears near the top of pages with a label reading “Form:”

Your Customer Email Address is the email entered on your Disclosure Form.

Illinois Shines Program Steps

Step 1

1. Review & Sign Disclosure Form and Customer Contract

Your Approved Vendor or its Designee must give you a copy of the Illinois Shines informational brochure and the standard Disclosure Form. Once you have signed the Disclosure Form, you can then sign your Installation Contract. It’s important to carefully review and understand these documents before you sign them.

Your Approved Vendor cannot begin the process of applying for your solar project to be part of the Illinois Shines program until you sign the Disclosure Form.

Step 2

2. “Part I” Application Submission & Review

The Approved Vendor completes an initial “Part I” application for your solar project to be part of the Illinois Shines program. The Approved Vendor groups your solar project with other projects and submits them as a “batch” to the Program Administrator, who reviews and verifies the applications.

If there are errors in an application, the Approved Vendor has 14 days to correct the errors. Your Approved Vendor may need to contact you to obtain information and correct any errors.

Step 3

3. Commission Review

The Program Administrator sends batches of verified applications to the Illinois Commerce Commission for approval.

The Commission will review the applications and approve the corresponding Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Contracts between your Approved Vendor and the Contracting Utility. The Commission meets approximately every 2 weeks and the applications must be submitted 8 business days prior to a Commission meeting in order to be considered.

Step 4

4. REC Contract Execution

Within 1-2 weeks of approval by the Commission, the Contracting Utility signs the contract and sends it to your Approved Vendor, which then signs the contract within 7 business days. Under the REC Contract, your Approved Vendor sells the RECs produced by your solar project to the Contracting Utility.

The Approved Vendor must also provide collateral to the Contracting Utility for each project. Some Approved Vendors charge a fee to the customer to cover this cost, but many do not.

Step 5

5. Installation of Your Solar Project

Your Approved Vendor or its Designee installs your solar project! They will also work with your Service Utility to connect your project to the electricity grid and to get it up and running. The timing for your solar project’s installation will depend on the installer’s schedule and the size of your project.

If you sign up for net-metering with your Service Utility, you should start seeing credits on your bill from the electricity that your solar project generates generally within 1-2 months.

Step 6

6. “Part II” Application Submission & Review

This includes final details and documentation about your solar project. The Program Administrator may need a few months to review and approve the second application. If there are any problems with the application, the Approved Vendor has 14 days to correct the issue.

Your Approved Vendor has up to 18 months after approval of the “Part I” application and the REC contract to actually install the project and get it running. Your Approved Vendor cannot submit the final “Part II” application until your solar project is installed and up and running.

Step 7

7. Contracting Utility Pays Approved Vendor for RECs

The Approved Vendor sends an invoice to the Contracting Utility. For projects 25 kW in size or smaller, the Contracting Utility provides a lump sum payment for the RECs that your project will generate over the next 15 years. Depending on your Installation Contract with your Approved Vendor, a portion of this payment may be passed on to you, or the value of the payment may already be passed through in decreased project costs.

Approved Vendors send invoices to the Contracting Utilities monthly. The Contracting Utility has 1 month to pay an invoice after receipt. Any pass-through payment to you would be based on the terms of your Installation Contract.

Key Terms

Approved Vendor

Solar contractor or developer that enrolls your solar project in the Illinois Shines program, and also sells the Renewable Energy Credits (“RECs”) generated from solar projects to the Contracting Utility.

Designee

Works with an Approved Vendor to do marketing, enroll customers, install projects, or other activities.

Contracting Utility

Utility company (Ameren Illinois, ComEd, or MidAmerican) that contracts with your Approved Vendor to buy the RECs from your solar project. May be different that your Service Utility.

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 your Contracting Utility.