What is Sunscription Community Solar?
Sunscription connects you to a Community Solar Garden (also known as Community Solar Farm), allowing you to save money, support local renewable energy, and have more control over your power, without ever installing solar panels on your roof. Community Solar Gardens are large solar projects which use solar panels to make clean energy directly from the sun. Underneath the solar panels, we often plant native vegetation and flowers to attract pollinators, reduce runoff and build soil structure. Solar energy with Sunscription is growing Illinois' renewable energy portfolio and helping transition to a clean energy future.
As an Illinois Community Solar Garden member, you support clean solar energy with no upfront cost and save alongside people in your community.
Why Community Solar for Illinois?
Illinois was the first state in the Midwest to set a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050. State officials created the Community Solar program to lower Illinois' carbon emissions and encourage homeowners/renters to participate in clean energy.
What are Illinois' Clean Energy Goals?
In 2016, Illinois passed the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), a comprehensive energy bill with provisions promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, and new jobs in clean energy. FEJA also created the Illinois Shines Community Solar Program, established to promote community solar projects, provide incentives for participants, and help Illinois reach FEJA goals. At the time, FEJA set a goal of generating 25% of the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2025 and required Comed and Ameren to expand their energy efficiency programs.
In 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) into law, which set ambitious new climate goals for the state. CEJA requires Illinois to achieve a 100% clean energy supply by 2050, with an interim goal of 50% renewable energy by 2040. CEJA also allocated funding to support solar energy access for low-income households and communities with Illinois Solar For All (ILSFA).
Illinois solar is quickly growing to reach the statewide goal of 100% clean energy by 2050, with the nearest target being 25% renewable energy by 2025. According to seia.org, enough solar is installed to power 338,495 homes and there are currently 5,520 solar-related jobs in Illinois. You can read more about Illinois renewable energy goals and Community Solar at ipa.illinois.gov.
How Does Community Solar Work with My Comed/Ameren Energy Bill?
Community Solar works similarly to having solar panels on your roof, where your utility “buys back” clean energy as it goes onto the grid. Because you are a member of a Solar Garden, you likewise receive Solar Credits on your bill based on the energy created at the Solar Garden. To finance and maintain the solar project, the owner of the Solar Garden charges a reduced rate to members for the Solar Credits they receive, saving them money each month. Click the link to join a Solar Garden near you.
