Illinois Commerce Commission order a victory for solar, advocates say
New goals have been put in place for The Future Energy Jobs Act. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved an order defining aspects that solar advocates were concerned about.
The final order:
-Allows municipal and cooperative customers to participate in the solar renewable energy credit (SREC) program. Management of renewable energy purchases and the sale of SREC’s will be handled by the Illinois Power Agency (IPA).
-Eliminates spot procurements that were to take place in 2018 and 2019. It focuses on prioritizing long- term contracts even if budget constraints prove to be troublesome. To qualify for contract incentives, out-of-state projects will have to meet tighter requirements based on a point system.
-Implements community solar to make it more accessible to residents from all walks of life. Larger subscribers allow a more cost-effective way to build projects since they have more money to spend. The requirements will allow smaller subscribers to have a higher chance of buying into solar projects.
The IPA must monitor the program and make necessary adjustments throughout the growth of this Act. It is important to factor in sustainability over the long term for these projects and it is all part of the process. One thing for sure is that this will help put Illinois on the map as a leader in Solar Development.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Realgy owns and operates 6 solar plants in Illinois and is looking to invest in additional locations.
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