IPA Launches Phase I of Clean Energy Dashboard Website

On October 2, the Illinois Power Agency (IPA) launched Phase I of the Illinois Clean Energy Dashboard.

IPA staff designed the Clean Energy Dashboard website to track the progress and impact of renewable energy development across Illinois. The Dashboard tracks renewable energy projects within and outside of the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard, and it serves as a tool for stakeholders and policymakers to quickly answer common questions about the growth of renewable energy in Illinois.

“The IPA’s Clean Energy Dashboard is the product of well over one year of work corralling numerous different data sets and transforming that data into visualizations to provide a consolidated, in-depth, visualized overview of the growth of the Illinois clean energy economy,” said IPA Director Brian Granahan. “IPA staff is commonly asked basic questions about how many new renewable energy projects have come online or how our progress in Illinois compares to progress in other states, and I’m very proud of our team’s efforts in developing the Clean Energy Dashboard as a helpful resource."

The Dashboard uses charts and graphs to visually demonstrate Illinois’ evolution in electricity generation – from traditional to renewable energy – compared to its Midwest counterparts. Additionally, the Dashboard provides a look at the overall growth of renewable energy and progress on equity initiatives, bolstering public understanding of how the IPA’s renewable energy programs and procurements support that growth. The data on the Dashboard further highlights how legislation like the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) and the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) has played a critical role in accelerating renewable energy development in Illinois.

Launching in 2025, Phase II of the Illinois Clean Energy Dashboard will include interactive dashboards, accessible on desktop and mobile devices.

To explore the Illinois Clean Energy Dashboard, please visit cleanenergy.illinois.gov.

IPA Relocates to New Office Space

Effective October 23, the IPA moved into its new office at 180 N Wabash Ave, Suite 500, Chicago, Illinois, 60601.

The Agency’s former office location no longer had sufficient space to accommodate the IPA’s growing team. When the IPA moved to its previous office space in 2018, the Agency only had eight employees. Enactment and consequent implementation of FEJA in 2016 and CEJA in 2021 have driven significant IPA staff growth. The Agency now has 50 employees – and that number is growing monthly. This new office space is large enough to accommodate the entire IPA team, with room for additional growth.

The new space will allow IPA staff to connect more in-person, fostering teamwork and innovation.

Best Practices When Going Solar: For Residents and Businesses

The IPA is committed to consumer protection and works diligently to ensure positive experiences for Illinois residents and businesses seeking to participate in the IPA’s Illinois Shines and Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) solar incentive programs. As part of that commitment, here are some best practices when going solar:

Make efficiency and electrification upgrades first. This helps ensure solar projects accommodate customers’ electricity loads. Also, if upgrades are made before switching to solar, customers may see additional savings when solar projects are energized.

Ask questions. The Illinois Shines website provides a detailed overview of useful questions organized by project type. For questions about the Illinois Shines Program, please contact admin@illinoisshines.com. For questions about the ILSFA Program, please contact info@illinoisSFA.com.

Get multiple bids and compare details on disclosure forms before committing to any project. All solar developers participating in the IPA’s solar incentive programs must include a standardized disclosure form that provides customers with clear information about potential projects.

Do independent research by checking customer reviews and consumer protection databases including IPA Program Complaint Reports which list all consumer complaints received by the Program Administrator. To explore the Illinois Shines Consumer Complaint Reports, please visit the Illinois Shines website. To explore the ILSFA Consumer Complaint Reports, please visit the ILSFA website.

The IPA believes that strong consumer protection is critical to the success of its solar incentive programs.

For education and support resources on consumer protection within Illinois Shines, please visit the Illinois Shines website.

For education and support resources on consumer protection for consumers participating in ILSFA, please visit the ILSFA website.

DID YOU KNOW?

The IPA will be hosting Power Hour 7—Upcoming Illinois Net Metering Changes, on Friday, November 15, from 12-1 p.m. CT.

Net metering, one of the key drivers of solar energy development in Illinois, will undergo significant changes effective January 1, 2025. With this new development, the IPA will be hosting an educational webinar to discuss net metering policy changes and potential impacts to ComEd, Ameren, and MidAmerican customers.

Speakers for this webinar include IPA Chief Legal Counsel Kelly Turner, Environmental Law & Policy Center Senior Attorney Brad Klein, and Elevate Chief Engineer Lawrence Kotewa.

Registration is required to attend this webinar.

Date: November 15, 2024

Time: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. CT

In The Community

IPA Director Presents at New Project Media DG Development and Finance Forum 2024

On October 24, IPA Director Brian Granahan presented at New Project Media’s Distributed Generation (DG) Development & Finance Forum 2024. The forum was attended by DG and community solar developers, financiers, investors, advisors, and utilities, and included discussions on renewable energy procurements, energy planning policies, solar markets, DG expansion and more.

At the event, Brian’s presentation focused on best practices for community solar programs by outlining the past, present, and future of community solar in Illinois. Illinois is now one of the country’s largest community solar markets, with over 1,500 MW of community solar projects having received REC delivery contracts through IPA programs.

To learn more about the DG Development and Finance Forum, please visit the New Project Media website.

IPA Staff Joins Coalition for Community Solar Access Panel Discussion

On October 16, IPA Chief Legal Counsel Kelly Turner spoke on a panel at the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) member meeting in Chicago. Kelly shared the panel with Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) Chairman Doug Scott and Illinois State Representative Marcus C. Evans, Jr. The discussion highlighted how landmark policies like the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act, Future Energy Jobs Act, and Climate Equitable Jobs Act have made significant strides in Illinois’ renewable energy landscape. The panel also touched on key challenges in Illinois community solar implementation, and how policymakers, government, utilities, and developers can work together to overcome these challenges while positioning the state as a continued leader in the clean energy space.

IPA Staff Present at Institute for Regulatory Policy Studies Conference

IPA Chief Legal Counsel Kelly Turner (second from left) discusses transmission challenges and opportunities as part of a panel at Illinois State University's Institute for Regulatory Policy Studies (IRPS) Conference in Springfield, Illinois.

Between October 8-9, Agency staff attended Illinois State University’s Institute for Regulatory Policy Studies (IRPS) Conference, titled “Energizing Illinois: Technology, Policy, and Initiatives in the Energy Transition,” in Springfield, Illinois.

IPA Senior Program Manager for ILSFA Jennifer Schmidt presented on how the ILSFA Program promotes equity in the clean energy transition and detailed ILSFA incentives for going solar. IPA Senior Advisor Anthony Star presented on a panel discussing decarbonization efforts, grid interconnection challenges, and regulatory incentives for renewable energy deployment. IPA Chief Legal Counsel Kelly Turner spoke on a panel exploring the role of Regional Transmission Organizations in electricity planning and discussed key transmission challenges and opportunities in Illinois.

IPA Staff Attend Illinois Renewable Energy Conference

Across October 1-2, Agency staff attended the Illinois Renewable Energy Conference (IREC) in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.

IPA Chief Strategy and Communications Officer Megha Hamal and Chief DEI Officer Tanvi Shah presented on the Agency’s equity progress and initiatives, including the Small and Emerging Business Hub, which was recently launched on the Energy Workforce Equity Portal. The Hub serves as a tool for Illinois’ small and emerging business community to connect with targeted programs and resources that meet their needs in entering the clean energy economy.

Additionally, IPA Data Analytics Manager Abigail Ramirez presented a plenary session on the Agency’s new Clean Energy Dashboard . The Clean Energy Dashboard website, developed by IPA staff, is designed to track the progress and impact of renewable energy development across Illinois. The Dashboard website tracks renewable energy projects within and outside of the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard and serves as an educational tool for stakeholders and policymakers to quickly answer common questions about the growth of renewable energy in Illinois.

IPA Senior Advisor Anthony Star delivered a presentation on the future of Illinois’ renewable energy landscape and highlighted challenges facing the clean energy transition. Additionally, Program Associate for Illinois Shines Emily Asbury and Senior Trade Manager for Illinois Shines Program Administrator Energy Solutions, Jozsef Raduly, presented on how the Public Schools category within Illinois Shines supports solar projects at public schools in Illinois. Their presentation highlighted various challenges, solutions, and benefits of solar power for schools.

To access these presentations, visit the conference website.