Power Pulse!

A quarterly newsletter featuring the latest news and information

from the Illinois Power Agency.

Our vision is to provide a clean, reliable, equitable, and cost-effective

energy future for residents and businesses across Illinois.

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On March 1, in accordance with Section 1-129 of the Illinois Power Agency Act (enacted through Public Act 103-0580), the Illinois Power Agency (IPA) released its final Policy Study analyzing three policy proposals considered during the Spring 2023 session of the Illinois General Assembly: planning and procurement to support the development of energy storage systems, the development of an offshore wind project in Lake Michigan, and the construction of an underground high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line. Chapter 9 of the Policy Study includes recommendations for the General Assembly as it considers these and other energy proposals.

Prior to releasing the final Policy Study, the Agency released a draft Policy Study on January 22, 2024, and received stakeholder feedback on that draft. The Agency appreciates the time stakeholders took to provide feedback and the Agency carefully considered those comments when preparing the final Policy Study.

Please visit the Policy Study webpage for the final Policy Study, supporting documentation, stakeholder feedback, and additional information.

IPA Releases Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report

On February 15, the IPA released its Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 23) Annual Report. Prepared in accordance with Section 1-125 of the IPA Act, this report shares statutorily mandated reporting requirements along with information highlighting the clean energy development in the state. The FY 23 Annual Report also utilizes visually appealing charts and graphs to demonstrate the Agency’s work and accomplishments covering the period from July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023, as well as subsequent events in the second half of the calendar year 2023.

The Annual Report presents information on how IPA renewable energy programs and procurements are contributing to clean energy development in Illinois while highlighting challenges and opportunities for putting Illinois on a sharp upward trajectory toward a clean energy future. Additionally, the report shares key insights on the Equity Accountability System, which expands priority access to businesses and workers from historically marginalized communities that have been excluded from benefits of the clean energy economy.

Energy Workforce Equity Portal Sees Continued Growth

The IPA’s Energy Workforce Equity Portal, launched on January 31, 2023, to help connect clean energy companies with Equity Eligible Persons (EEPs) looking to work in the clean energy sector in Illinois, continues to see growth in participation.

The Portal has continued to serve as a valuable tool for job seekers to find out if they qualify as EEPs, register to be listed on the Portal, and view clean energy job postings from employers seeking to hire EEPs.

Since its launch, the Portal has become a cornerstone in the state's mission to grow its clean energy industry equitably. According to the Portal’s latest update, there are 145 jobs approved.

Additionally, participation data has been encouraging. To date, 107 clean energy companies have been approved on the Portal and 293 Equity Eligible Persons have registered on the Portal for potential employers to discover them.

To learn about how clean energy companies can register and post clean energy jobs, visit the Employers page on the Portal.

To learn about how job seekers can qualify as EEPs and register in the Portal, visit the Job Seekers page.

Questions about the Portal can be directed to IPA.EnergyEquity@illinois.gov.

On February 20, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) issued its Final Order approving the IPA’s 2024 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (Long-Term Plan). The Long-Term Plan, developed every two years, details the goals and strategies for the IPA’s renewable energy programs and procurements.

The 2024 Long-Term Plan was released for public comment on August 15. The Agency received a total of 34 comments covering all chapters of the Plan. Commenters included a variety of stakeholders including solar companies, Equity Eligible Contractors, labor organizations, environmental advocacy groups, utilities, and industry associations. The Plan was then filed with the Commission on October 20 and included several novel proposals from the IPA, including the following:

• Seeking express authority to deposit any federal Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund funding received into the Renewable Energy Resources Fund to support Illinois Solar for All Program growth.

• Establishment of a Solar Restitution Fund to provide economic assistance to customers harmed through solar project transactions.

• A workshop process for determining the viability of downstream negotiations of Indexed REC contracts used to support utility-scale wind, utility-scale solar, and brownfield site photovoltaic projects.

• A suite of solutions to address persistent oversubscription of the Group A Large DG and Small DG program categories (Group A projects are located in the service territories of Ameren Illinois, MidAmerican, Mt. Carmel Public Utility, and rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities located in MISO).

Each of these proposals was approved by the ICC through its Order approving the Long-Term Plan. The IPA will release additional details around the implementation of these proposals across the weeks and months to come.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launches Clean Energy Connector Tool with Illinois as Pilot State

On March 19, the U.S. Department of Energy launched its Clean Energy Connector. The Connector is a digital platform making community solar more accessible to households participating in government-run low-income support programs. Illinois is one of the two pilot states chosen to support the pilot in connecting income-eligible families to solar energy through its Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Through the Connector, the IPA’s Illinois Solar for All Program (ILSFA), in collaboration with DOE and Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity’s Office of Community Assistance, will help streamline LIHEAP approved household access to ILSFA community solar projects. A total of nine LIHEAP Administering Agencies throughout Illinois will participate in the initial rollout.



Given the timing of the Connector’s launch, no active community solar projects are yet seeking subscribers through the Connector. However, the IPA is confident that this new tool will provide robust opportunities for ILSFA community solar projects to reach income-eligible residents more easily and help lower energy burdens.

Illinois Shines Releases Final Report on Mentorship Pilot Program

On March 1, the IPA’s Illinois Shines program released a Final Report on the first cohort for its new Mentorship Pilot Program. Designed to equip minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned, or disability-owned small businesses, with the knowledge and skills to successfully participate in the Illinois Shines program, staff from the Illinois Shines program administrator (Energy Solutions) administered the eight-week Illinois Shines Mentorship Program across October to December. Twelve businesses participated in the first Mentorship Program cohort.

The Final Report summarizes the inaugural Mentorship Program, outlines recommendations for future cohorts, and includes testimonials from mentees. To read the Final Report, please visit the Illinois Shines Mentorship Program page.

“The mentorship program has been an invaluable experience for our company. There are a lot of requirements to follow to stay in good standing as an approved vendor with the Adjustable Block Program. Having all of the requirements synthesized in an easily digestible and recorded presentation has been extremely helpful. In addition, having the opportunity to network and share feedback/advice with other Equity Eligible Contractors has been very useful. I would highly recommend that this program be renewed for another year as it has been a very useful resource for us in our development journey”

- Equity Eligible Contractor



“The Mentorship Program has been instrumental in enhancing my understanding of the SREC program. Its well-structured approach and detailed information have equipped me with a thorough grasp of the program’s intricacies, ensuring that I now comprehend its various aspects completely. Thank you for setting this up for the approved vendors”

- Equity Eligible Contractor

To further support small business participation, the Illinois Solar for All and Illinois Shines Programs also recently published a joint-program Small and Emerging Business Guide. This Guide is intended to help both prospective business owners and small businesses navigate the solar landscape in Illinois by providing essential information on business certification, market participation, and incentive program qualification requirements.

IPA Works to Address Barriers to Solar at Public Schools

The Public Schools category of the Illinois Shines Program aims to increase the educational and financial impacts of public school solar projects through a carveout supporting new solar projects located at Illinois public schools. Illinois Shines provides incentive payments that can help bring down the upfront cost of solar installation, resulting in cost savings for public schools and new educational opportunities for students and communities to learn about solar energy.

However, since the opening of the Public Schools category in December of 2021, participation levels have been low. Currently, there is still over 160 MW of capacity available in the Public Schools category. Barriers include upfront financing, time needed for schools to get approval on projects from decision makers, incentive payment timelines, and lack of awareness of the program.

To help address this barrier, the IPA is engaging education organizations and solar companies to understand hardships, conduct targeted outreach to schools and district officials, and to create school-specific resources to ensure that the Program’s benefits are widely known.

As part of the IPA’s educational goals on the Public Schools category, the Agency conducted a Power Hour webinar, Clean Energy Future for Public Schools: Benefits and Challenges, on February 23 to discuss the challenges and opportunities for schools to go solar. The webinar also highlighted Public Act 103-0580, which went into effect on December 8, 2023, expanding the category to include Illinois public higher education institutions; the Public Schools Carbon-Free Assessment program to help schools reduce carbon emissions, manage energy use, and save money. The webinar featured presentations from Climate Jobs Illinois’ Campaign Mobilization Director Mia Korinke, Illinois Shines Senior Program Manager Audrey Steinbach, and a member of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, educator Ryan Zaremba.

To access the recording and presentation of this webinar, please visit the IPA Events page.

For more information, read the Public Schools Informational Brochure.

New Office Space for the IPA

To accommodate the IPA’s workload and growing staff, the Agency will relocate to a new space at 180 N. Wabash (at the corner of Wabash and Lake) in Chicago. The office lease was signed and approved as of January.

Additionally, the IPA has recently established a new base of operations for IPA staff in the Leland Building in downtown Springfield. This space was secured through an Intergovernmental Agreement with the ICC.



The IPA will provide regular updates on the office space relocation as details become available.

External Events Featuring IPA Speakers 

On March 20, IPA Chief Legal Counsel Kelly Turner, Chief Strategy & Communications Officer Megha Hamal, and IT Manager Ganita Young presented for the Laborers’ International Union of North America (Midwest Chapter). The presentation focused on the IPA’s renewable energy incentive programs and procurements, and key initiatives that prioritize equity and Prevailing Wage Act requirements in the clean energy industry in Illinois.

The presentation also featured a tour of the Energy Workforce Equity portal, which connects clean energy companies with EEPs that want to participate in the clean energy industry.



To access the recording and presentation of this webinar, please visit the IPA Events page.

IPA Presents at III FFC Public Construction Summit

On March 12, IPA Deputy Legal Counsel Sarah Duffy and Illinois Solar for All Program Associate Abigail Ramirez presented at the Indiana, Illinois, Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting (III FFC) Public Construction Summit in Moline, IL. The event hosted contractors, public employees, city attorneys, and local officials from across the state. The IPA’s presentation outlined how residents and businesses can participate in the IPA’s solar incentive programs. The presentation also discussed prevailing wage and equity requirements for IPA’s renewable energy programs and procurements with an emphasis on how the Agency is strengthening and advancing equity in the clean energy industry through various initiatives.



To learn more about the IPA’s Equity efforts, please visit the MES webpage.

IPA Attends Harris Environmental and Energy Association Career Fair

Illinois Solar for All Presents at Access to Capital Workshop for Small and Emerging Businesses

On March 26, Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) presented at the Access to Capital Workshop for Small and Emerging Businesses, hosted at the NAACP Chicago Westside Branch. ILSFA was proud to partner with the Austin African American Business Networking Association (AAABNA) in recruiting small and emerging businesses interested in solar energy to attend this informational workshop.

This in-person event familiarized small and emerging businesses with available funding options to help them grow their businesses. The workshop addressed barriers to participation in the clean energy economy and included an in-depth summary of the ILSFA solar incentive program. Presenters from lending institutions, community organizations, and government programs provided information on microloans, commercial lending, grants, and other funding tools. Industry professionals in attendance then had the opportunity to network with small and emerging businesses, members of the Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC) community, Approved Vendors (AVs), and more.

The Agency thanks the NAACP Chicago Westside Branch for hosting this educational workshop.

IPA Acting Director Speaks at Energy Storage Conference

Across January 29-30, 2023, IPA Acting Director Brian Granahan spoke on two energy panels at the IEEE Electrical Energy Storage Applications and Technologies Conference (EESAT) in San Diego, California.

Brian’s first session was the conference’s keynote session titled The Scale of the Challenge, and his presentation focused on three items: basic background on the Illinois energy economy; the Illinois path to decarbonization and the aggressive deployment of new renewable energy projects; and the role of energy storage as part of that transition. Illinois was highlighted as exemplary of the challenges and opportunities facing many states through our nation’s effort to decarbonize our electricity supply.

Brian’s second session was a panel discussion with state policymakers representing California, New Jersey, Michigan, and Illinois titled State Policy Perspectives: Charting the Path for Energy Storage in Diverse Markets. Panelists provided perspectives on how their individual states are approaching energy storage policy development and implementation. Brian’s presentation also outlined the energy storage deployment approach outlined in Senate Bill 1587 and shared preliminary conclusions reached about that approach from the IPA’s draft Policy Study.

Contractors Briefed on How to Participate in Illinois Shines and Illinois Solar for All

On January 23, the IPA Program Administrators for the Illinois Shines program (Energy Solutions) and Illinois Solar for All program (Elevate Energy) presented at the Chicago Urban League’s Renewable Energy Contractor Clinic event.



The Urban League event was targeted to contractors that are interested in transitioning into the solar industry but have limited exposure around how best to do so. The presentations from the Program Administrators highlighted the IPA’s two solar incentive programs and provided a roadmap for how contractors can navigate their solar journey, including opportunities for Equity Eligible Contractors within the IPA’s Illinois Shines program.

Planning Committee for the Chicago Urban League Contractor Clinic.

Left to right: LaVerne Hall, Lesley McCain, Karen Youngblood, Marion Jones, Ola Tomaszewski, Tonya Johnson, Anna Solorio, and Jan Gudell

IPA in the News

Hoodline: Illinois Boosts Diversity in Clean Energy Hiring with Successful Equity Portal Launch

Hoodline: Illinois Solar Initiative Aims to Power Low-Income Homes, Backed by U.S. Energy Department

Northern Public Radio: How an Illinois School District Invests in Solar Energy

Chicago Tribune: Rooftop Solar Skyrockets in Illinois, New Report Shows

Register for IPA Power Hour 3—Climate Change and Health Equity

On April 26 at 12 p.m. CT, the IPA will host Power Hour 3—Climate Change and Health Equity.

This educational webinar will explore the connections between climate change and public health with a specific focus on equity. Ensuring equity in the growing clean energy economy is a top priority for the Illinois Power Agency. Join us for important presentations on how our changing climate affects public health.

The webinar will feature presentations from IPA Deputy Legal Counsel Sarah Duffy and Program Director and professor of Health Sciences at Roosevelt University,

Dr. La Vonne Downey.

Date: April 26, 2024

Time: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. CT

REGISTER NOW

The IPA is Hiring!

The IPA is actively recruiting for the following positions:

Deputy Legal Counsel

Associate Legal Counsel - Illinois Shines

Associate Legal Counsel - Consumer Protection

To apply for these positions, please visit the IPA Careers page.