Help for Stranded Customers
What to do if your solar company cannot complete your project
“Stranded” customers are 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) submit a project application to the Illinois Shines program. 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 prohibited from advancing projects through the application process.
The Program Administrator is aware that the below listed Approved Vendors and Designees ceasing or have limited operations. If you are not aware of or cannot remember which Approved Vendor or Designee you are working with on your project, please refer to your Illinois Shines Disclosure Form (you may have both an Approved Vendor and a separate Designee), or you may contact the Program Administrator for assistance.
For next steps for stranded customers, please complete the form at the bottom of this webpage.
Approved Vendors and Designees that have ceased operations:
- Empire Solar (Approved Vendor and Designee)
- Moxie Solar (Approved Vendor and Designee)
- Power Home Solar, LLC d/b/a Pink Energy (Approved Vendor and Designee)
- Zenernet (Designee)
- Sun Badger Solar (Approved Vendor and Designee)
Approved Vendors and Designees that have limited operations:
- SRECTrade (Approved Vendor): In July 2022, SRECTrade announced they were retiring as an Approved Vendor from the Illinois Shines program and would not submit applications for projects for which the Designee did not provide Part I application materials by June 15, 2022.
- Modern Mill LLC (Designee)
- Simple Solar (Approved Vendor)
Please refer to the Program Violations Report if you are concerned that your Approved Vendor and/or Designee is suspended from the Program and will not be continuing with your project.
- If you have concerns that your Approved Vendor and/or Designee has ceased operations but is not on this list, please reach out to [email protected].
- If your solar company has exited the market after you have already received your REC (Renewable Energy Credits) incentive (if applicable), you may also refer to the Designee list to search for a new installer for maintenance or repairs. If you experience problems with an existing solar project, you may wish to consult your installation contract and Disclosure Form to determine who is responsible for maintenance and repairs and whether there are manufacturer’s warranties that apply.
- Please refer to your installation contract for details on any ongoing maintenance or repair issues, and your Disclosure Form for warranty information. Manufacturer warranties may still be available.
- If you were initially identified as a stranded customer but have already connected with another Approved Vendor and/or Designee from the Illinois Shines program to complete your project, please continue to work with your new Approved Vendor and/or Designee.
- If you are an Approved Vendor and/or Designee interested in assisting stranded customers, please review and follow instructions on this announcement from June 21, 2023.
Below is a shortlist of registered Illinois Shines Approved Vendors and Designees that meet heightened eligibility requirements and have indicated that they are willing to take on stranded customers. This list is being maintained by the Program Administrator on the Illinois Shines website to assist stranded customers in finding a new Approved Vendor or Designee that may be willing to complete the solar project installation and/or the Illinois Shines application process.
If your solar system is installed and functioning, but your application still needs to be submitted to the Illinois Shines program:
You will need a new Approved Vendor to continue participating in the Illinois Shines program. Approved Vendors are entities approved by the Program Administrator to submit project applications to the Illinois Shines program.
Below is a list of Approved Vendors assisting stranded customers in this circumstance:
| Approved Vendor | Geographic Area | Website | Customer Support Email | Customer Support Phone | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Solutions Group | Entire state | carbonsolutionsgroup.com | [email protected] | (312) 971-6245 | |
| Certasun | Chicago metropolitan region | certasun.com | [email protected] | (312) 638-0800 | Pre-installation projects only |
| GRNE | Entire state except Southern Illinois | grnesolar.com | [email protected] | (312) 859-3417 x1 | Pre-installation projects only |
| Summit Solar Solutions, LLC | Entire state | mysummitsolar.com | [email protected] | (864) 250-0026 x2 | Pre-installation projects only |
If your solar system is installed but is not functioning properly or if you still need installation work done:
The next step is to find an entity who can assist in troubleshooting the issue or can complete the installation. Below is a list of entities on the shortlist who may be able to assist with maintenance/repair issues or installation. Many of these entities are Designees, which are third-party entities (non-Approved Vendors) that have direct interaction with customers. The Designees on this shortlist are installers.
Once your system has been troubleshooted, if your Illinois Shines application is not complete, you will need a new Approved Vendor to continue. Please refer to the table above for the list of Approved Vendor shortlist entities who may help submit your application.
| Approved Vendor (AV) and/or Designee (D) | Geographic Area | Website | Customer Support Email | Customer Support Phone | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 360 Electric, LLC (AV & D) | 70 mile radius of Morton, IL | 360electrichvac.com | [email protected] | (309) 222-8328 | |
| Certasun (AV & D) | Chicago metropolitan region | certasun.com | [email protected] | (312) 638-0800 | Pre-installation projects only |
| Greenlink Solar Solutions (D) | 100 mi radius from Rockford (not City of Chicago) | usgreenlink.com | [email protected] | (779) 201-3947 | |
| GRNE (AV & D) | Entire state except Southern Illinois | grnesolar.com | [email protected] | (312) 859-3417 x1 | Pre-installation projects only |
| Independence Renewable Energy LLC (D) | Northern Illinois (2 hour travel distance from Sandwich, IL) | iresolar.com | [email protected] & [email protected] | (815) 250-6180 & (815) 414-1788 | |
| New Prairie Construction (D) | 1-hour travel distance from Urbana, IL | newprairiesolar.com | [email protected] | (217) 344-5131 | |
| Porter Electric (AV & D) | Central Illinois | porter-electric.com | [email protected] | (309) 241-5306 | |
| Sangamon Solar (AV & D) | 2-to-2.5- hour travel distance from Champaign, IL | sangamonsolar.com | [email protected] & [email protected] | (217) 649-0926 | |
| Southern Illinois Solar (D) | Central & Southern Illinois | southernillinoissolar.com | [email protected] | (618) 664-0931 | |
| StraightUp Solar (D) | 1.5-hour travel distance from Bloomington-Normal, Marion and St. Louis | straightupsolar.com | [email protected] | (309) 260-2663 |
Next Steps for Stranded Customers
- Request information on the status of your project application to the Illinois Shines program. Provide the following information to the Program Administrator by using the form below if you need a new Approved Vendor and/or Designee to assist in submitting your project through the Illinois Shines program. The Program Administrator will follow up with you in 3-5 business days to provide information regarding your project application status.
- Connect with a new Approved Vendor and/or Designee for assistance with completing your solar project or submitting a project application to Illinois Shines. You can reach out to a new Approved Vendor and/or Designee on your own, or you can request that the Program Administrator help connect you with a new Approved Vendor and/or Designee. You may contact companies on the shortlist provided or any other Approved Vendor or Designee. Once you establish a new business relationship with an Approved Vendor and/or Designee to complete the Illinois Shines application, the new Approved Vendor or Designee should reach out to the Program Administrator to confirm.
