Participation in the 1-4 unit Low-Income Distributed Generation sub-program of Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) has been lower than desired. The Illinois Power Agency (IPA) and the Program Administrator are now seeking feedback on a proposal to facilitate the connection of interested income-eligible households with Approved Vendors, as well as broader feedback on barriers to participation and suggestions on how to improve participation in this sub-program.
The IPA and the Program Administrator will conduct a virtual workshop on Thursday, December 3, 2020, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM CST. The workshop will have two parts: the first part will focus on barriers to participation, and the second part will focus on discussion of a draft Referral Proposal. The draft Referral Proposal can be found below.
The IPA and the Program Administrator will issue a request for written feedback based on the discussion at the workshop (including, potentially, a revised proposal) and may conduct additional workshops if necessary.
To register for the workshop, please email your name and affiliation to info@IllinoisSFA.com for an invitation.
Workshop Agenda
Part 1: Review goals for changes to participant-AV connections; review identified barriers for AVs and participants; identify additional barriers
Identified barriers to Approved Vendor Participation include:
- Small profit margins for AVs owing to small project sizes, lack of an economy of scale
- High customer acquisition costs
- Consumer protections and program requirements
- Customer eligibility – must be income qualified and have appropriate documentation
- Site suitability screening- AV must be able to conduct a screening of the property, and sites need to be in good enough condition to host PV array for at least 15 years
- Low participation of small businesses and MWBEs
Identified barriers for potential participants include:
- Lack of clarity about how to participate in ILSFA, including which AV(s) to contact, what the program costs, anticipated savings, etc.
- Absence of opportunities to participate in some regions of the State
The session will discuss these barriers and solicit feedback on other barriers not listed.
The session will also consider what program improvements could be made without changes to the Long-Term Plan, and what improvements would require changes to the Long-Term Plan (which could be considered during the process of updating that Plan which will begin in the summer of 2021).
Part 2: Review of draft Referral Proposal
- Is the draft Referral Proposal likely to increase participation in the LIDG program?
- Would the draft Referral Proposal increase participation by Approved Vendors in areas of the state not currently served (e.g., central and southern Illinois)?
- Are there aspects of the draft Referral Proposal that would preclude participation by AVs?
- How would the draft Referral Proposal impact the participant experience?
- Should referrals be provided to all AVs or only to those who provide offers included in the Distributed Generation Offers resources?
- What unintended consequences could this the draft Referral Proposal create for AVs or participants?
- Are there alternative structure(s) for a competitively neutral referral program for income-eligible households to consider?
The Agency and the Program Administrator will consider feedback received during the session and may issue a revised proposal for written feedback and/or schedule subsequent workshops.