Illinois Commits to Use More Solar Energy

Utilities in Illinois will be required to use more solar power, under new legislation signed into law by Governor Pat Quinn yesterday.


The new laws also confirm the right of homeowners to set up solar panels on their homes, provided certain guidelines are followed.

Governor Quinn said: “Solar energy is the wave of the future, and it is important that our public utilities and homeowners are able to more easily increase their use of solar energy.’

Utilities
House Bill 6202 brings forward state requirements for utilities to supply solar power to their customers by three years.

Commonwealth Edison and Ameren will now have to start buying solar power as part of their state renewable energy portfolio obligations from 2012, rather than 2015.

The requirement starts at 0.5% of their power supplies by June 2012, rising to 1.5% by the following June, 3% by June 2014, then 6% by June 2015.

The state’s renewable energy portfolio requires 25% of electricity supplied by regulated utilities to come from renewable sources by 2025.

Homeowners
The other law signed by Gov Quinn yesterday was House Bill 5429, which essentially prevents homeowners’ associations from preventing homeowners from installing solar panels on their property.

The Homeowners’ Solar Energy Act requires homeowners’ associations to draw up guidelines for solar panels, and does not apply to buildings more than 30 feet high.

Both pieces of legislation will take effect January 2011.

Gov Quinn, who signed the bills at the University of Illinois in Chicago, said: “We must do everything we can to increase our use of solar energy, which will help us protect natural resources and reduce our reliance on traditional energy sources, such as foreign oil.”