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DeKalb County, Illinois: solar, wind, and storage projects and permits

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

Proposed projects, county offices, and the state rules for a solar, wind, or battery storage project in DeKalb County, county seat Sycamore.

Check land in DeKalb CountyOpens the land report with the map on the county; click a spot for its flood, wetland, habitat, line-distance and parcel check.

What energy projects are proposed in DeKalb County?

The PJM interconnection queue lists 18 proposed projects in DeKalb County (13 solar, 3 solar plus storage, 2 battery storage), about 2,666 MW in all. 0 have a signed interconnection agreement.

What stands out in DeKalb County

By capacity, solar leads in DeKalb County with 2,180 MW across 13 projects, followed by solar paired with storage (3 projects, 300 MW) and battery storage (2 projects, 186 MW). The largest is queue number AG1-118 - moved to TC1, a 300 MW solar request in the PJM queue, in study, filed Aug 2020, with a target in-service date of Dec 2023. Of the 18, 18 are still in study. All of them are in the PJM queue, which covers the ComEd side of the state. The requests were filed between Aug 2020 and Mar 2023. Target in-service dates for those not yet under construction span Dec 2023 to Dec 2027; 6 of them have already passed, which means those schedules slipped.

A listing means a developer asked the grid operator to study connecting a project; many are never built, and the status column says where each one stands.

Reading the table: the queue number is the operator's ID for the request (MISO J-numbers, PJM AE/AF/AG-numbers); operators do not publish developer names in these files. Connection is the transmission owner and, where listed, the substation or line; "Other_" is the operator's own placeholder. In study (Phase 1/2) are MISO's definitive-planning study phases; "moved to TC1" means a PJM request was carried into Transition Cycle 1; "CIR Increase" is a request to add capacity rights to an existing project; "LRTP" names a MISO long-range transmission project. For PJM rows, MW is the figure in the megawatt column of PJM's public queue export; PJM also tracks maximum facility output and capacity rights separately, so a project's study documents can show a different number. 6 target in-service dates below have already passed while the request is still open: operators keep the developer's last reported date until the developer changes it, so a past date means the schedule slipped, not that the project was built.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Sources: MISO generator interconnection queue and PJM interconnection queue, downloaded October 7, 2026; withdrawn and operating projects are left out, and the operators do not publish developer names. What the stages mean.

What can DeKalb County require of a project?

Illinois law sets the ceiling: DeKalb County must approve a commercial wind or solar project that meets the state standards, must finish its public hearing within 60 days, and may not ban them in agricultural or industrial zones (55 ILCS 5/5-12020); battery storage has had its own statewide standards since June 1, 2026 (55 ILCS 5/5-12024). Land inside a city or village falls under municipal zoning instead.

Recent local action: On March 18, 2026 the DeKalb County Board voted 18–3 to approve a special use permit for USS Heavenscent Solar's 2-megawatt commercial solar facility on 22 acres in Cortland Township. (Daily Chronicle (Shaw Local))

State siting standardsFarmland agreement (AIMA)Property taxes

Who to contact in DeKalb County

Assessment questions go to the supervisor of assessments, special use applications to the zoning office, and road use agreements to the county engineer; the county seat is Sycamore. A drainage district, if the land is in one, must receive the developer's drainage plan.

DeKalb County websiteSupervisor of assessmentsZoning and planningCounty engineer and highways

Solar for homes and businesses in DeKalb County

Illinois net metering, the Illinois Shines incentive, and HOA rules are the same statewide; ComEd sets the application steps here: Illinois home and business solar rules · utility application links.

State and federal reviews

Illinois EPA stormwater coverage, IDNR's EcoCAT review, historic preservation review, and federal wildlife screening can apply to a site in DeKalb County: Illinois agency list.