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Illinois: solar, wind, and storage projects and rules

Queue data downloaded October 7, 2026 · Rules checked October 17, 2026

Illinois has two grid operators and statewide limits on what counties can require. Here is what is proposed in each county, the rules that apply to a lease, and the rules for solar on homes and businesses.

Jump to: Projects by county · County rules · AIMA · Taxes · Lease rates · Agencies · Grid · Homes · Businesses

How many projects are proposed in Illinois?

The MISO and PJM queues list 529 active proposed projects in Illinois, about 121,305 MW (208 solar, 47 solar plus storage, 112 wind, 138 battery storage, 5 hybrid, 7 gas, 1 nuclear, 11 type not listed): 260 in MISO and 269 in PJM. 5 recent requests do not list a county yet. Many queued projects are never built.

Sources: MISO generator interconnection queue and PJM interconnection queue, downloaded October 7, 2026; withdrawn and already-operating projects are left out. Grid operators do not publish developer names in these files; the queue number is the project's ID. In study means the operator is still studying the connection; Agreement signed means the interconnection agreement is done; many listed projects are never built. Parcel & Grid is not affiliated with MISO or PJM.

What can an Illinois county require?

Since 2023, state law sets the maximum rules a county can apply to commercial wind and solar, and counties may not adopt stricter ones (55 ILCS 5/5-12020). Key points:

• No bans: a county may not disallow wind or solar, "permanently or temporarily," in any district zoned for agricultural or industrial use (5-12020(h)).
• Approval: an application that meets the standards "shall be approved" (5-12020(g)).
• Hearing: at least one public hearing, which must begin and end within 60 days after the application is filed, and a decision within 30 days after the hearing ends. The requirement that the hearing end within 60 days took effect June 1, 2026; before that, it only had to be held within 60 days (5-12020(c); Arent Fox Schiff summary).
• Solar setbacks: 150 feet from occupied community buildings and dwellings on nonparticipating property; 50 feet from public roads and nonparticipating property lines; panels no taller than 20 feet at full tilt; fencing 6 to 25 feet tall (5-12020(e)).
• Wind setbacks: 2.1 times the blade tip height from nonparticipating homes and occupied community buildings; 1.1 times from participating homes, nonparticipating property lines, and public roads; shadow flicker limited to 30 hours a year at nonparticipating homes (5-12020(e)).
• Drainage: the developer files a farmland drainage plan with the county and affected drainage districts, must repair drainage damage, and must pay landowners for crop losses (5-12020(j-5), (s-5); Illinois Farm Bureau).
• Battery storage: since June 1, 2026, systems over 1,000 kW have their own statewide standards: 150 feet from nonparticipating homes, 50 feet from property lines and roads, the same 60-day hearing rule, and fire safety documents under NFPA 855 (55 ILCS 5/5-12024).

The Illinois Municipal League says the law preserves city and village zoning authority, so projects inside municipal limits can face different rules (Illinois Municipal League fact sheet).

The agricultural impact agreement (AIMA)

Owners of commercial wind and solar facilities on farmland must sign an Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (505 ILCS 147/15). The standard solar agreement covers topsoil, drain tile repair, rock removal, compaction, and a deconstruction plan, and applies to facilities of 500 kW or more (Standard Solar AIMA).

• Decommissioning money: financial assurance for 10% of estimated removal cost by the first anniversary of commercial operation, 50% by the sixth, and 100% by the eleventh (Standard Solar AIMA).
• Removal: within 12 months after the end of the facility's useful life (Standard Solar AIMA).
• Counties: may not impose construction or decommissioning standards stricter than the department's standard agreements (5-12020(j)).

AIMA documents (Illinois Department of Agriculture)

Property taxes on solar, wind, and storage

• Solar: assessed by the megawatt, not the acre: a $218,000 per MW base, adjusted for inflation and depreciated over 25 years to no less than 30%. The system owner is liable for the taxes, and the land returns to farmland assessment after the system is removed (P.A. 100-781). The 2026 inflation factor is 1.31 (Illinois Department of Revenue).
• Wind: a $360,000 per MW base with the same 25-year, 30% floor approach; the 2026 factor is 1.61 (Illinois Department of Revenue).
• Battery storage: $65 per kWh of capacity, starting with assessment year 2026 (taxes paid in 2027) (Illinois Department of Revenue).

We found no rollback or recapture tax like Texas's in these laws; confirm with your county's supervisor of assessments before you sign.

What are developers paying Illinois landowners?

In a mid-2026 survey of Illinois farm managers and appraisers, most respondents (62.5%) reported annual rent offers of $1,000 to $1,999 per acre for new utility-scale solar or wind, 31.2% reported $2,000 to $2,999, and 6.2% over $3,000. Seven respondents reported battery storage rents, most between $1,500 and $4,999 per acre (Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, via farmdoc). These are offers, not signed leases. See is my offer fair?

Leases and easements longer than a few years are usually recorded as a memorandum with the county recorder, which is what gives them effect against later buyers (765 ILCS 5/30).

State and federal offices a project deals with

• Illinois EPA: construction stormwater permit coverage for 1 acre or more of disturbance (Illinois EPA).
• Illinois DNR: EcoCAT natural resource review (EcoCAT), and floodway construction permits from the Office of Water Resources (IDNR OWR).
• State Historic Preservation Office: reviews projects with state or federal permits, licenses, or funds (Illinois SHPO).
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Illinois-Iowa field office; screen sites in IPaC (USFWS).
• IDOT: oversize and overweight permits for moving equipment (IDOT).

Which grid is my county on?

Northern Illinois, served by ComEd, is in PJM (PJM Illinois report). Most of central and southern Illinois, served by Ameren Illinois, is in MISO, which is why projects there appear in MISO's queue. Projects in each county below are tagged with the grid operator whose queue lists them. See MISO and PJM timelines.

Solar and batteries for Illinois homes

• Net metering changed in 2025: customers who began net metering on or after January 1, 2025 get credits only against the per-kWh supply portion of the bill and pay delivery charges in full; customers connected before then keep full net metering for the life of the system unless they take the utility's generation rebate (220 ILCS 5/16-107.5(n); ComEd net metering FAQ; Ameren: customer-owned solar).
• Utility rebate: customers who would have qualified for net metering can receive a distributed generation rebate of $300 per kW until December 31, 2029 and $250 per kW after; the system must have a smart inverter installed and operating (220 ILCS 5/16-107.6). A customer with pre-2025 full net metering who takes this rebate loses that status (ComEd net metering FAQ).
• Home batteries: for customers eligible for net metering, a battery is compensated at a base $300 per kWh of capacity until a "threshold date" set by the 2026 energy law; other storage rebates are $250 per kWh (16-107.6). Ameren Illinois says that since June 1, 2026, battery rebate eligibility requires enrolling in a utility-managed virtual power plant program (Ameren DER bulletin 2026-04).
• Illinois Shines: the state program pays for the system's renewable energy credits (one per megawatt-hour), and only through an Approved Vendor; incentives are paid to the vendor, and "savings may be passed on to customers" (Illinois Shines FAQ; find an Approved Vendor). For systems up to 25 kW under 2026 contracts, 50% is paid at energization and the rest over six years (Small distributed generation).
• Sales rules: you must sign the program's disclosure form before the contract; vendors may not knock on doors before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m., call the program a "tax credit" or "rebate," or advertise "free" or "$0" solar unless the customer will owe nothing at all (Consumer Protection Handbook 2026-27).
• Community solar and Solar for All: customers can subscribe to a community solar project in their own utility territory (Illinois Shines: community solar). Illinois Solar for All serves low-income households, defined by income that does not exceed 80% of area median income (20 ILCS 3855/1-56; IPA: Illinois Solar for All).
• Connecting: most home systems qualify for Level 1 review (export of 25 kW or less, nameplate 50 kW or less, inverter-based, certified equipment) with a $50 application fee (83 Ill. Adm. Code 466.80; Appendix A). To get net metering, the system must be installed by a state-certified installer or a certified self-installer (220 ILCS 5/16-128A).
• HOAs: an association may not prohibit solar; it must adopt a written energy policy within 90 days of a request, and placement rules may not cut production by more than 10%. Buildings over 60 feet tall and shared roofs are excluded (765 ILCS 165/15; 165/20; 165/45).
• Property tax: an owner can ask the chief county assessment officer for an alternate valuation that values the home as if it had a conventional system instead of solar, whichever is lower (35 ILCS 200/10-10).

Solar and batteries for Illinois businesses

• Bigger systems, more review: Level 2 applications cost $100 plus $1 per kVA, Level 3 $500 plus $2 per kVA, and Level 4 $1,000 plus $2 per kVA (83 Ill. Adm. Code 466, Appendix C).
• Illinois Shines pays by size: 2026-27 credit prices for distributed generation fall as projects get larger, from $70.37 to $80.77 per credit for systems up to 10 kW to $31.96 to $37.39 for 2 to 5 MW, depending on utility group (2026-27 REC prices).
• Net metering and rebate: the same post-2025 supply-only crediting and the per-kW rebate apply to non-residential customers who qualify (16-107.5; 16-107.6).
• 2026 energy law: the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (Public Act 104-0458) took effect June 1, 2026 and changed incentive and storage rules (Illinois Power Agency).

Federal tax credits after the July 2025 law

• Homes: the 30% residential clean energy credit (section 25D) is not allowed for expenditures made after December 31, 2025. The IRS treats an expenditure as made when installation is completed, so a system paid for in 2025 but finished in 2026 does not qualify (IRS FAQ on Public Law 119-21; IRS: residential clean energy credit).
• Businesses and third-party owners: for wind and solar facilities whose construction begins after July 4, 2026, the business credits (sections 48E and 45Y) end for facilities placed in service after December 31, 2027 (IRS Notice 2025-42; 26 U.S.C. 48E).
• Begin construction: construction begins when "physical work of a significant nature begins"; the older 5% cost safe harbor remains only for solar facilities of 1.5 MW or less (IRS Notice 2025-42).

Tax rules depend on your situation; ask a tax professional before relying on any credit.