The Illinois Power Agency proposed the creation of a stranded customer REC adder in Section 9.4.2.1.1 of the 2024 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (“2024 Long-Term Plan”).
The Stranded Customer REC Adder will incentivize solar companies to take on customers who have become stranded in IPA solar incentive programs. Stranded customers are those who have already signed a contract with a solar company and then the Approved Vendor (and sometimes also the Designee) goes out of business or is prevented from moving forward with the project for other reasons, such as disciplinary action. In many cases, it is difficult for a customer to find a new company to take on their project, especially if the project has been partially installed but not completed.
The Agency has repeatedly heard that assisting stranded customers is often unattractive to Approved Vendors and Designees because the work and risk can outweigh the benefits. The Agency therefore will implement an economic incentive for Approved Vendors that assist stranded customers in the form of a “REC adder”— that is, an increased price in the REC Contract for RECs generated by projects that were stranded and then “unstranded.”
The IPA and the Illinois Shines Program Administrator have developed a chart of categories of stranded customers, based on the specific types of situations in which customers are stranded. The Agency and Program Administrator have determined a specific REC “adder” amount for each category of customer.
On September 3, 2025, the Agency issued a Rationale Document, outlining the final decisions of the Agency with respect to various aspects of the policy and explaining whether and how certain stakeholder feedback was incorporated, and also published the associated chart of stranded customer categories, both of which can be found on the Consumer Protection Initiatives page. The Agency and Program Administrator intend to launch the Stranded Customer REC Adder in the coming weeks.