Traditional Community Solar
The Traditional Community Solar category now allows for community solar projects up to and including 5 MW in size (increased from 2 MW). Capacity for the Traditional Community Solar category for the first two years after the effective date of Public Act 102-0662 were allocated to projects already on ordinal waitlists as of Public Act 102-0662’s enactment, as outlined below. Traditional Community Solar projects must have subscriptions of 25 kW or less constitute at least 50% of the facility’s nameplate capacity. The Traditional Community Solar category will generally comprise at least 30% of the Illinois Shines capacity. Traditional Community Solar projects will now 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 for community solar.
Looking to subscribe? Find a Community Solar Project with this downloadable list.
For assistance in this project category, contact the Community Solar Sector Strategist, Jess Blue, at [email protected] or the Program Administrator team at [email protected].
Category-Specific Resources
Traditional Community Solar Scores for Program Year 2023-24
On June 1, 2023, Traditional Community Solar capacity for the 2022-2023 Program year opened. In accordance with the TCS scoring guidelines previously published in both the 2022 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (pg. 166) and the 2023 Program Guidebook (pg. 115), the Program Administrator has scored all TCS projects submitted on June 1, 2023 that completed application processing.
These scores are published below, and the full TCS scoring announcement can be found here.
| 2023-2024 Traditional Community Solar Scoring | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| 2023-2024 Traditional Community Solar Scoring | Original file August 24, 2023. |
September 20, 2023 Random Selection Event
TCS Capacity for the 2022-2023 Program Year was fully awarded during the Random Selection Event. Please see the announcement for more details. Projects submitted after June 1, 2023 will be prioritized and processed in the order received and will be added to the applicable waitlists for the TCS blocks if the project meets the 5.0 point minimum threshold. These waitlists are published on the Block Capacity Dashboard and are updated regularly. Waitlisted projects will be eligible for new capacity released for the 2024-2025 Program Year beginning June 1, 2024.
Traditional Community Solar Scores for Program Year 2022-23
On November 1, 2022, Traditional Community Solar capacity for the 2022-2023 Program year opened and Approved Vendors were able to submit TCS applications. In accordance with the TCS scoring guidelines previously published in both the 2022 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (pg. 166) and the Program Guidebook (pg. 22), the Program Administrator has scored all TCS projects submitted on November 1, 2022 that are Part I verified.
These scores are published below, and the full TCS scoring announcement can be found here.
| 2022-2023 Traditional Community Solar Scoring | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| 2022-2023 Traditional Community Solar Scoring | Original file March 10, 2023; Updated file May 3, 2023 (fifth update issued). |
May 30, 2023 Random Selection Event
Category-Specific Updates
This blog includes key items specific to this Illinois Shines project category, but AVs and Designees are still expected to read all Program announcements in full, which contain other critical Program items and updates.
