Calendar for 2022-2023 Program Year Announced

The Program Administrator is announcing a schedule for the Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) 2022-2023 program year.

Sub-Program Names Updated

The Illinois Power Agency and the Illinois Solar for All Program Administrator have updated the ILSFA sub-program names. The new participant-friendly names will help Approved Vendors market the sub-programs by using terms that are easier to understand. We will be using the updated names in all Approved Vendor documents and participant-facing materials for Program Year 5.

Low-Income Single-Family and Small Multifamily Solar (formerly Low-Income Distributed Generation, 1-4 units) is now called Illinois Solar for All: Residential Solar (Small).
Low-Income Large Multifamily Solar (formerly Low-Income Distributed Generation, 5+ units) is now called Illinois Solar for All: Residential Solar (Large).
Low-Income Community Solar is now called Illinois Solar for All: Community Solar.
Non-Profit and Public Facilities is now called Illinois Solar for All: Non-Profit and Public Facilities.

Project Submission Windows

ILSFA’s fifth program year will begin in fall 2022 and features two separate initial project submission windows:

October 31, 2022 – November 14, 2022 – Approved Vendors may submit projects for the Residential Solar (Small and Large) and Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-programs.
January 30, 2023 – February 10, 2023 – Approved Vendors may submit projects for the Community Solar sub-program.

The full project application timelines for the 2022-2023 program year are below.

Project Submission, Review, and Eligibility

Currently, Approved Vendors working on the Residential Solar (Small) sub-program have limited access to the ILSFA Approved Vendor Portal and can generate disclosure forms for program participants (as applicable) and enter Part I application information for projects prior to the opening of the project submission windows. Once the project submission windows open, all Approved Vendors will be able to submit Part I applications. Part I applications must be entered and submitted during this window to be part of the Project Selection Protocol process if required.

Please Note: Part I Residential Solar (Small) sub-program applications may currently be submitted for ILSFA and that functionality will continue to be available through the end of the sub-program’s submission window. This interim review process is detailed in the Program Year 5 Updates announcement from June 6, 2022. Eligible projects submitted during this interim review process through the end of the submission window will be a part of the Project Selection Protocol process if required.

For sub-programs where the Project Selection Protocol is determined to not be needed, the Program Administrator will review projects as quickly as possible to send as many eligible projects to the first ICC meeting after the review period is complete. If sub-program funding remains, a rolling submission window will be opened and projects will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis until the end of the 2022-2023 program year or as long as there is remaining sub-program funding available.

View the ICC’s calendar.

Environmental Justice Community Self-Designation Applications

Requests for self-designation as an Environmental Justice Community (EJC) are considered on an ongoing basis. However, EJC self-designation requests must be approved by the EJC Self-Designation Committee before the submission window closes for any associated projects to be considered located within an EJC for the purpose of project selection scoring.

Applicants seeking approval of their designation request by the EJC Self-Designation Committee before the project submission windows close must submit their applications by:

September 30, 2022, for Residential Solar or Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-programs
December 30, 2022, for the Community Solar sub-program

Critical Service Provider Requests

For a project to be eligible for the Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program or to receive certain points as described in the Project Selection Protocol, the project must serve the load of a building that is occupied by a non-profit organization or public sector entity that is a Critical Service Provider. If a prospective non-profit or public sector entity is not represented within the list of Critical Service Providers in the Approved Vendor Manual, the Approved Vendor or that entity may submit a request to the Program Administrator for consideration as a Critical Service Provider.

Entities seeking approval as a Critical Service Provider must submit their requests to the Program Administrator by:

September 30, 2022, for the Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-program
December 30, 2022, for the Community Solar sub-program

Approved Vendor Registration

Approved Vendor registration applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. However, entities seeking to become an Approved Vendor in order to submit projects before the project submission windows close must submit their applications by:

October 14, 2022, for the Residential Solar (Small and Large) or Non-Profit and Public Facilities sub-programs
January 13, 2023, for the Community Solar sub-program

Learn more about the registration process. As a reminder, applicants must first be registered with the Adjustable Block Program.

Project Selection

The 2022-2023 program year will follow a revised Project Selection Protocol, with updates reflective of the requirements in the 2022 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan. A draft will be published this week, giving stakeholders an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed protocol.

Project selection location points will be based on the current Environmental Justice Community and Income-Eligible Community maps. New maps will be made available after census and EJScreen data is fully available ahead of the 2023-2024 program year.