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Solar electric car charging station in Frankfort, Illinois

Solar power in Illinois has been increasing, as the cost of photovoltaics has decreased. As of the end of 2020, Illinois had 465 megawatts (MW) of installed photovoltaic and concentrated solar power capacity combined employing over 5,200 jobs.[1] Illinois adopted a net metering rule which allows customers generating up to 40 kW to use net metering, with the kilowatt hour surplus rolled over each month, and lost at the end of either April or October, as selected by the customer. In 2011, the limit was raised to 2 MW, but is not net metering, as the term is commonly known, as it uses two meters for systems larger than 40 kW.[2]

As of 2022, Illinois ranks 17th nationally in cumulative installed solar capacity. There is enough solar energy installed in the state to power 217,000 homes.[3]

History

Solar panels, Palatine Township

The first experimental solar power plant was in 1902, in Olney, Illinois, by H.E. Willsie and John Boyle, and was based on a design by Charles Tellier.[4] In 1904 they set up the Willsie Sun company in St. Louis, and built a 6-horsepower motor.[5]

In 2002, Illinois's largest solar array was the 99.4 kW array on the roof of the Field Museum of Natural History, in Chicago.[6]

In 2010 the country's largest urban solar array, 10 MW, was installed in West Pullman, on Chicago's south side.[7] In 2012, IKEA installed solar PV on its two stores in Bolingbrook and Schaumburg totaling almost 2 MW.[8] Also in 2012, the 20 MW Grand Ridge Solar Plant in LaSalle County was completed.[3] The University of Illinois built a 5.87 MW solar farm in 2015 which will provide 2% of the university's electricity.[9][10]

In November 2016, ComEd attempted to add additional fees to the bills of only residential solar users, commonly called demand charges, in the text of a wider energy bill.[11] They were eventually pulled out of the bill,[12] which passed in December 2016 without them.[13]

Statistics

Source: NREL[14]
Illinois Grid-Connected PV Capacity (MW)[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]
Year Capacity Installed % Change
2007 2.2 0.2 10%
2008 2.8 0.4 27%
2009 4.5 1.7 61%
2010 15.5 11 244%
2011 16.2 0.7 5%
2012 42.9 26.7 165%
2013 43.4 0.5 1%
2014 54 10.6 24%
2015 65 11 20%
2016 70 5 8%
2017 81 11 16%
2018 106.2 25.2 31%
2019 211.5 105.3 99%
2020 465.4 253.9 120%
2021 1,107.1 641.7 %
2022 2,036 928.9 %
Utility-scale solar generation in Illinois (GWh)[23]
Year Total Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2010 14 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 0
2011 16 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
2012 31 1 1 2 2 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2
2013 53 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 5 5
2014 50 2 2 4 4 5 6 5 5 5 5 4 3
2015 48 2 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 3
2016 49 2 4 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 3
2017 54 2 4 4 4 6 7 6 6 6 3 3 3
2018 65 3 3 6 7 7 7 8 7 6 5 3 3
2019 63 3 3 6 6 6 7 8 7 6 5 3 3
2020 93 2 4 4 6 7 9 9 10 8 6 6 8
2021 528 13 16 24 28 34 36 60 61 79 55 69 53
2022 1,601 73 83 110 121 148 167 175 206 182 162 107 67
2023 977 70 116 137 194 228 232

See also

References

  1. ^ "Illinois Solar Energy Association - Illinois Solar Industry Data". illinoissolar.org. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  2. ^ Illinois - Net Metering
  3. ^ a b Illinois Solar, Solar Energy Industries Association. Accessed June 20, 2022
  4. ^ Solar Power in Olney, Illinois
  5. ^ Environmental History Timeline
  6. ^ A greener field - Energy
  7. ^ Solar power may get chance to shine in Illinois
  8. ^ [1], IKEA, July 25, 2012
  9. ^ Solar farm connected to UIUC grid, Anna Carrera, 11/19 2015
  10. ^ Updated: Solar farm construction to start in spring at UI, The News-Gazette, January 20, 2015
  11. ^ "Bill for massive coal, nuclear bailout, residential demand charges introduced in Illinois". pv magazine USA. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  12. ^ "BREAKING: Demand charges removed from Illinois nuke bailout bill". pv magazine USA. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  13. ^ "Illinois energy bill passes without demand charges or repeal of net metering". pv magazine USA. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  14. ^ "PV Watts". NREL. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  15. ^ Sherwood, Larry (August 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  16. ^ Sherwood, Larry (June 2011). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  17. ^ Sherwood, Larry (July 2010). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  18. ^ Sherwood, Larry (July 2009). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
  19. ^ Sherwood, Larry (July 2009). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
  20. ^ Sherwood, Larry (July 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  21. ^ Sherwood, Larry (July 2014). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  22. ^ Illinois Solar
  23. ^ "Electricity Data Browser". U.S. Department of Energy. March 28, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2021.

External links