Illinois Leads the Way in Community Solar on Storage Units

The village of Justice, Illinois, is home to a newly deployed community solar array on a Public Storage facility, which is expected to provide significant savings for subscribers and help the state meet its clean energy goals. Mayor Krzysztof Wasowicz has expressed support for the project, citing its potential to create jobs and revenue for the state.

Community Solar in Illinois

Illinois is among the nation's leaders in community solar capacity, with more installed than California. The state's 2016 clean energy law created generous incentives for community solar, leading to a boom in projects. Most of the state's community solar has been built on rural land or industrial brownfields, but rooftops are becoming an increasing priority.

The Public Storage projects are part of Illinois' Community-Driven Community Solar program, which incentivizes solar arrays with predominantly local subscribers. The program awards points for proposals that involve the community in design and planning, hire through the state's workforce training programs, and are located in designated low-income or environmental justice census tracts.

Benefits of Rooftop Community Solar

Rooftop community solar offers several benefits, including the ability to deploy clean energy quickly and efficiently. According to Mark Schottinger, president of Solar Landscape, working with large companies like Public Storage allows for rapid deployment of rooftop projects at multiple sites. The community solar model also allows subscribers to reap savings and support clean energy without having to install their own solar panels.

Future of Community Solar in Illinois

Illinois is poised to continue its leadership in community solar, with plans to have over 400 community solar arrays in service by the end of the year. The state's incentive programs are critical to facilitating community solar development, and the expiration of federal tax credits has made state programs even more important. Despite the challenges, solar developers like Solar Landscape are still building new projects, and the company's marketing director, Samantha Kanipe, notes that the community solar credits are worth $5 more per megawatt-hour for rooftop installations.

The following table compares the planned Public Storage projects in Illinois:

Overall, Illinois' community solar program is a model for other states to follow, and the use of rooftops for community solar is an elegant solution for deploying clean energy to meet rising demand.