November 3, 2020 – North Shore residents and small businesses in the Cities of Highland Park and Lake Forest and the Villages of Deerfield, Lake Bluff, Northbrook, and Skokie will soon have an opportunity to save money and help develop renewable energy thanks to Illinois’ largest municipally sponsored community solar program.
Solar developers have committed to make over 10 megawatts available over the next year to qualified residents and small businesses in participating communities through the CS2 Residential Community Solar Program. Subscribers will save 20% on their monthly electricity charges based on the solar generation credits achieved. To support equitable access to the program, there are no credit checks, enrollment fees, or termination fees.
Community solar allows residents and small businesses to subscribe and receive credits on their electric bills. Participants can support solar power without installing their own rooftop panels and the subscriptions help finance and construct small solar facilities that may not be built otherwise.
Subscriptions will be offered on a rolling basis as community solar facilities are built and connected to the electric grid. Interested residential and small business customers can join the program waitlist at northshorecommunitysolar.com. As community solar projects are completed in coming months, residents on the waitlist will be contacted and offered an opportunity to complete the subscription process.
Community solar facilities are a product of Illinois’ Future Energy Jobs Act. The Act mandates that Illinois utilities must purchase 25% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. Some of this additional demand will be met by 400 megawatts of capacity generated by community solar projects throughout the state.
The communities are members of the North Shore Electricity Aggregation Consortium (NSEAC), which was formed in 2011 to save residents money through competitive bidding for the purchase of electricity. The program is the result of a partnership between the NSEAC and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click here to review answers to frequently asked questions regarding the community solar program.
Watch your mailbox! Residents will soon receive a postcard highlighting the features of the program.