A Fair Shot at Solar: Why Illinois Needs the Solar Bill of Rights Now
Far too many Illinoisans face a patchwork of policies that create significant barriers to clean energy access. From homeowners and renters to business owners and sustainability advocates, residents across the state encounter inconsistent rules, unclear pricing, and unfair barriers based solely on where they live or what utility serves them.
The Solar Bill of Rights, a key provision in the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act, aims to change that by establishing fair, transparent rules for solar energy across all utility territories within the state. During our recent lobby day at the state capitol, we spoke with four Illinoisans with various perspectives who all share one goal: guaranteeing every community a fair shot at clean energy.
A Homeowner’s Decade-Long Journey
Kay Ahaus, a homeowner in Madison County, installed solar panels on her roof a decade ago. What should have been a straightforward investment in clean energy and lower bills became a frustrating lesson in the lack of protections for solar owners.
“When we first put our solar on 10 years ago, we were not allowed to make all of the solar that we wanted to put on our home,” Kay explained. “We were very limited, and we actually wanted to put on enough to supply our whole home.”
Kay has seen her compensation rate for excess electricity slashed repeatedly – first to half, then to just a quarter of what was originally promised – without any due process or public input.
“Without any due process, with just a notice on our electric bill, that this is the way life is going to be for you now, without any public input, without any recourse, really, if I want to stay on the grid,” she said. “We need proper reimbursement for the solar we do make. There are unreasonable inequities at present, and I think the bill will go a long way to correct those.”
Practical Concerns from a Sustainability Advocate
Ted Bourlard, co-chair of the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST), sees the Solar Bill of Rights through the lens of a municipal sustainability advocate. His focus is on eliminating the practical barriers that discourage residents from adopting solar.
“One of the things I like about the Solar Bill of Rights is it puts a cap on exorbitant insurance requirements for installing solar on your house,” he said. “I also love the idea of mandating at least a floor ensuring fair compensation for excess solar generation.”
For Ted, fighting excessive fees is a priority: “I’d also really want to see solar advocates not being taken advantage of with high interconnection fees and access fees.”
A Resident Denied Access to Community Solar
Tom Prost, who lives in Waterloo, is mainly concerned about another critical aspect of this conversation: the inability to participate in community solar programs due to his municipal utility’s membership in the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA).
“Right now, I live in Waterloo, Illinois, and my community is a member of the IMEA, and we’re prohibited from joining any kind of community solar organization,” Tom explained. “It’s really kind of galling, because I have siblings that live in Belleville and Collinsville who are served by Ameren, and they can join if they so choose, but I do not have that option.”
For Tom, rooftop solar isn’t feasible: making community solar programs the logical alternative. The power purchase agreement (PPA) provisions in the Solar Bill of Rights would be particularly valuable for him and others in similar situations.
“A lot of people these days are going to solar, rooftop solar in their homes, but that’s really not an option for us for various reasons,” he said. “Especially for people that rent their homes or apartments, it would be open for them also, so it just seems like a common sense solution, and to be not even able to consider that just doesn’t seem fair for hundreds of thousands of people whose cities are members of IMEA.”
A Business Owner’s Vision for Fair Policy
Michelle Knox, owner of Wind Solar USA in Springfield, sees these barriers from the business side. As a renewable energy developer and member of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition and Illinois Solar Energy Association, she works daily with customers navigating the complex solar landscape.
“I am here to educate legislators about the Solar Bill of Rights, a bill that is intended to bring rights to those 1 million Illinoisans that live in public utility territories, municipal and rural electric cooperatives,” Michelle told us.
For Michelle, several provisions in the Solar Bill of Rights are vital: “Number one, an overproduction rate. We want consumers to receive a fair and equitable rate that is published, easy to access for any overproduction that we send back to the grid,” she explained.
Just as important is policy stability that allows consumers to realize return on their investments: “We also want them to be able to have a legacy period, which means that whatever the policy was at the time that they signed up for solar is honored for 25 years from their point of energization, so they are able to realize their financial objectives with the project.”
Why This Matters for Illinois
From Kay’s fight against arbitrary policy changes, to Tom’s desire for community solar access, these diverse voices highlight the same underlying issue: Illinois needs energy policy that works for everyone, not just a lucky few in certain utility territories.
The Solar Bill of Rights within the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act would create a level playing field by:
- Ensuring Muni/Co-op Consumers Have Fair Access to Solar
- Eliminating Unfair Insurance Requirements
- Ensuring Fair Crediting and Transparency for Consumers with Clear Timelines and Accurate Pricing
- Honoring Original Agreements to Ensure Fairness and Stability in Solar Investments
- Empowering Lower-Income Customers through Power Purchase Agreements/Leases
- Standardizing System Size Limits
- Reducing Prohibitive Meter and Study Fees
- Enhancing and Prioritize Consumer Protections through ICC Mediation Processes
- Eliminating Excessive Interconnection Fees
Every day without the Solar Bill of Rights means that another homeowner faces unfair compensation, another potential solar customer is deterred by excessive fees, and another Illinois resident is denied access to community solar simply because of where they live.
The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act presents a historic opportunity to establish energy fairness across the state. Together, we can work toward an Illinois energy future that gives everyone a fair shot at being involved in the transition to clean energy.