Public Schools

The Public Schools category includes Small and Large Distributed Generation projects as well as community solar projects that serve a public school in Illinois. The Public Schools category will generally comprise at least 15% of the Illinois Shines capacity. Public Schools projects will also feature 20-year REC delivery contracts that pay for RECs over time as they are delivered, rather than the front-loaded payment schedule previously used under Illinois Shines. Section 1-75(c)(1)(K)(iv) of the IPA Act restricts the eligibility of projects under the Public Schools category to those that are installed “at” a public school. In accordance with the Commission’s Final Order approving this Plan, community solar projects developed on land adjacent to a public school or on school district-owned land are eligible to participate in this category.

February 2023 Public Schools Category — Request for Feedback

The Illinois Power Agency sought public comment on multiple requirements for projects submitted to the Public Schools category of the Illinois Shines program. Background on the topics, a list of requirements for the Public Schools category, and relevant questions for feedback were detailed in the linked Stakeholder Feedback Request – Public Schools Category issued on February 22, 2023. Please see the below reference table for the Stakeholder Feedback Request, which were due on March 3, 2023, and the comments received.