Solar energy in Illinois is shining brighter than ever, with the state seeing a surge in rooftop solar installations, according to the latest report from the Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group. The "Land of Lincoln" has skyrocketed to ninth place in the nation for small-scale solar growth, generating enough juice from residential rooftops to power a solid 116,300 homes.
Highlighting this trend, Johanna Neumann, a senior director at the Environment America Research & Policy Center, stated, "Nationwide, two-thirds of our solar capacity has come online in the past five years, and rooftop solar in Illinois skyrocketed over that period." Indeed, the state has to quickly embrace these technologies or risk being left in the dark ages of energy production.
Despite the overall progress in the Midwest lagging behind, the energy produced by these pint-sized powerhouses in the U.S. was enough to power the equivalent of every home in Pennsylvania, a state not known for its modest households. Yet, as Neumann told the Chicago Tribune, the U.S. is "still just scratching the surface of our solar potential."
With the nation tapping a mere 1/28 of its roof-worthy potential, it's clear there's room to grow. Funding these initiatives isn't just about the environment; it's about economic sense. Aaron Stigberg, an Albany Park homeowner, boasted to the Chicago Tribune that state incentives and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act's tax credits reduced his rooftop project's price tag from $22,000 to a more palatable $7,200.
Neumann has also suggested looking to the Golden State for inspiration, where California has smoothened out the kinks in the permitting process. Illinois might do well to streamline and standardize its own bureaucratic hurdles, much like California's move to automated online permitting, simplifying the path for homeowners looking to catch some rays on their rooftops.
But the clock's ticking for climate action. Neumann emphasized the urgency when she said, "It really is time to make sure policymakers recognize the immense benefits of rooftop solar and do everything they can do to help us realize that potential as quickly as possible." With more energy than ever being drawn directly from the skies through small solar projects, as noted in the report available on the Environment America Research & Policy Center's website, it may just be time for Illinois to kick its green energy generation into high gear.
