There can be solar tax credits and incentives available at the federal, state and local levels. The calculator above will show you the value of all incentives your home is eligible for.
Solar makes you a lot of money in Illinois. Yes, we said "makes!" Even though electricity prices are relatively low, the state gets enough sun that solar power saves you big money from day one.
Home solar panels are cheaper than ever before. Combine the low prices with the 30% federal solar tax credit and the Illinois Shines incentive program, and a solar panel system can pay itself back quickly and give you free power for years to come!
It's a great investment to go solar as a homeowner here. Take a good look at our rundown of Illinois solar power incentives below.
Learn what solar incentives are available to Illinois homeowners
See what Illinois solar incentives you qualify for based on your utility company and city
Find out how much these incentives and/or Illinois solar tax credits will reduce your cost to go solar and add batteries
The federal solar investment tax credit will have the biggest impact on the cost you will face to go solar in Illinois
If you install your photovoltaic system before the end of 2032, the federal tax credit is 30% of the cost of your solar panel system. This is 30% off the entire cost of the system including equipment, labor, and permitting.
Example: If your solar energy system costs $20,000, your federal solar tax credit would be $20,000 x 30% = $6,000.
The federal tax credit falls to 26% starting in 2033.
With net metering in some states, you get full retail rate credit for the amount of electricity you send back into the grid with your solar panels.
With net metering in place, your utility must track your renewable energy production and consumption during each monthly billing cycle. Any surplus energy is carried over as a credit onto your future bills. Net metering is required to be available under Illinois law unless a cooperative or municipal cooperation supplies your electricity. So far, so good.
Illinois’ net metering policy would be just about perfect if those credits hung around indefinitely, but they don’t. At the end of every annual period, all remaining credits expire and revert back to the utility without compensation. This means that you need to make sure your solar system isn’t so big that you generate more electricity in a year than you use, not that you would want to anyway.
You may select an annual period that ends with the last day of either their April or October billing period, so at least you have some flexibility to maximize your credit usage.
Note: Illinois is studying whether it should change the net metering program. If the program is changed or done away with, it could have serious negative consequences for the financial returns of a solar installation here. Check here for updates.
Illinois does not offer any direct cash rebates for solar panels, but does offer an excellent solar program called "Illinois Shines" that pays solar system owners a lump sum based on the expected value of the energy their systems will produce over time.
The Illinois Shines adjustable block solar grant program provides a bunch of upfront cash when you go solar. When combined with the federal 30% Solar Tax Credit, it can slash the cost of installing an average 6-kilowatt solar system.
Funds are paid out upfront to your solar installer based on the expected amount of solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) your system is projected to produce over 15 years.
To get this grant, you need to sign over your SREC rights to an approved vendor or solar installer. The best installers will guarantee your payment is received out of the program. This may increase their quoted cost of your installed system, as installers usually take the Illinois Shines amount off your quoted install cost.
If you’re in Chicago and other places served by ComEd, you (or your installer) can expect to receive about $64 for each SREC your solar system produces. An average 6 kW home solar system cranks out about 110 SRECs over 15 years, netting a grant amount of about $6,600.
Illinois has a property tax incentive to encourage solar power use. When you register your solar system with the chief county assessment officer, your solar equipment will be valued at no more than the value that would be given to a conventional energy system. That’s not as clear-cut as the 100% property tax exemption we’ve seen in a lot of states, but money saved is money saved, right?
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Prices based on a 10.8kW system, after 30% federal tax credit
57 solar companies in Illinois provide pricing on SolarReviews. Here are the best rated companies near you.
4.84 53 Reviews
Chris and Miranda, over 1 month
My wife and I hired Solar Power Midwest in 2019. Been a great experience. Everytime we call they answer. Had an issue with a few clamps and they came out right away and fixed. They have installed solar for family and friends as well. Thumbs up !
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Chris and Miranda, over 1 month
My wife and I hired Solar Power Midwest in 2019. Been a great experience. Everytime we call they answer. Had an issue with a few clamps and they came out right away and fixed. They have installed solar for family and friends as well. Thumbs up !
4.75 149 Reviews
Michael, 4 days ago
Smooth process from start to end, took less than 3 months to have my solar system installed.
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Michael, 4 days ago
Smooth process from start to end, took less than 3 months to have my solar system installed.
4.68 42 Reviews
Tim Epps, over 1 month
Very professional, all done none contact. They were very interested in keeping us informed as the process progressed. System looks great and is running great. They have answered all our questions and addressed any concerns.
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Tim Epps, over 1 month
Very professional, all done none contact. They were very interested in keeping us informed as the process progressed. System looks great and is running great. They have answered all our questions and addressed any concerns.
4.64 36 Reviews
Steve Haseley, over 1 month
We had a great experience with Jason and the whole crew that erected our solar system and would recommend them to anyone.
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Steve Haseley, over 1 month
We had a great experience with Jason and the whole crew that erected our solar system and would recommend them to anyone.
4.51 51 Reviews
Cory Reynolds, over 1 month
Working with Straight Up was a great experience and certainly a company I works recommend to anyone interested in going Solar. Andrew Stetter was my initial contact and shared all of the pertinent info to help me know that this was the way we wanted to go.
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Cory Reynolds, over 1 month
Working with Straight Up was a great experience and certainly a company I works recommend to anyone interested in going Solar. Andrew Stetter was my initial contact and shared all of the pertinent info to help me know that this was the way we wanted to go.
4.51 29 Reviews
David P, over 1 month
I first met with Bryan, who did a great job answering all of my questions. I had more questions after the fact, and he was very responsive, one time even recording a video of himself answering the questions. The install crew was professional and did a great job. No issues there. I did have one small problem that took a few months to resolve. One of the panels wasn't outputting quite as much as the rest. But they were able to get the problem resolved. It was an issue with one of the inverters. They worked with enphase on my behalf to get it fixed. I haven't had any issues since then. Overall, couldn't be happier! This is a quality company in an otherwise fairly scammy industry.
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David P, over 1 month
I first met with Bryan, who did a great job answering all of my questions. I had more questions after the fact, and he was very responsive, one time even recording a video of himself answering the questions. The install crew was professional and did a great job. No issues there. I did have one small problem that took a few months to resolve. One of the panels wasn't outputting quite as much as the rest. But they were able to get the problem resolved. It was an issue with one of the inverters. They worked with enphase on my behalf to get it fixed. I haven't had any issues since then. Overall, couldn't be happier! This is a quality company in an otherwise fairly scammy industry.
4.47 1,744 Reviews
pj, 2 weeks ago
I'm sure the product is probably fine, but I'm guessing there are other companies that are more transparent and better at communicating. Once we were installed and running, which took close to a year, we were dropped like a hot potato. No more answering questions by them. It's as if they could care less once they've sold you their product. The communication within the company was just as bad. No one ever seemed to know what you were told by another dept. or why. It was a terrible experience. Our electric company also told us that no one was passing their inspections with BRS because they were ignoring the criteria, in obvious hopes the electric company would negotiate or compromise on their rules.
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pj, 2 weeks ago
I'm sure the product is probably fine, but I'm guessing there are other companies that are more transparent and better at communicating. Once we were installed and running, which took close to a year, we were dropped like a hot potato. No more answering questions by them. It's as if they could care less once they've sold you their product. The communication within the company was just as bad. No one ever seemed to know what you were told by another dept. or why. It was a terrible experience. Our electric company also told us that no one was passing their inspections with BRS because they were ignoring the criteria, in obvious hopes the electric company would negotiate or compromise on their rules.
4.42 22 Reviews
Anonymous, over 1 month
Midwest installed an 18.9 kw ground mounted system for us that was an especially challenging set of circumstances. Without going into all the details, let's just say they went above and beyond to do whatever it took to make this work, and stayed at their quoted amount even after a lot of challenges. Top notch organization!
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Anonymous, over 1 month
Midwest installed an 18.9 kw ground mounted system for us that was an especially challenging set of circumstances. Without going into all the details, let's just say they went above and beyond to do whatever it took to make this work, and stayed at their quoted amount even after a lot of challenges. Top notch organization!
4.37 16 Reviews
Jason, 1 week ago
I highly recommend RX Sun and Fresh Coast Solar for anyone looking to install solar panels on their home. I found them through Energy Sage which vastly simplified the research process and I recommend them as well. RX Sun and Fresh Coast did an excellent job from start to finish, and kept me informed throughout the process. Noah at RX Sun was very upfront and helpful in guiding through the process, including SREC which can be complicated to new buyers, and never tried to upsell me on anything I didn't need. He explained everything clearly and answered all my questions. Hanna and her installer teams at Fresh Coast Solar were very efficient and friendly, and handled everything for permits and approvals. They installed the panels quickly and made sure everything was working properly. They also helped me set up the app to monitor my energy production and consumption. I was amazed to see how much electricity I was generating from the sun, and excited to see how much I will be saving on my utility bills. I was also able to take advantage of the federal rebate and Illinois state SREC incentives, which made the whole project even more affordable. It's really exciting to know that my whole home is being self-powered by the sun, and that I'm helping the environment by reducing my carbon footprint. RX Sun and Fresh Coast Solar are the best in the business, and I'm very happy with their service. Thank you!
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Jason, 1 week ago
I highly recommend RX Sun and Fresh Coast Solar for anyone looking to install solar panels on their home. I found them through Energy Sage which vastly simplified the research process and I recommend them as well. RX Sun and Fresh Coast did an excellent job from start to finish, and kept me informed throughout the process. Noah at RX Sun was very upfront and helpful in guiding through the process, including SREC which can be complicated to new buyers, and never tried to upsell me on anything I didn't need. He explained everything clearly and answered all my questions. Hanna and her installer teams at Fresh Coast Solar were very efficient and friendly, and handled everything for permits and approvals. They installed the panels quickly and made sure everything was working properly. They also helped me set up the app to monitor my energy production and consumption. I was amazed to see how much electricity I was generating from the sun, and excited to see how much I will be saving on my utility bills. I was also able to take advantage of the federal rebate and Illinois state SREC incentives, which made the whole project even more affordable. It's really exciting to know that my whole home is being self-powered by the sun, and that I'm helping the environment by reducing my carbon footprint. RX Sun and Fresh Coast Solar are the best in the business, and I'm very happy with their service. Thank you!
4.35 23 Reviews
Anonymous, over 1 month
SunLight Solutions has solved our high energy bills. Our electric bills keep increasing and now after our solar panels have been installed our first bill has shown a nearly 50% decrease. Everyone at Solar Energy has been so friendly and helpful throughout the whole process. Keeping in touch with us and letting us know what to expect with every step was so helpful and we found it to be very comforting.
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Anonymous, over 1 month
SunLight Solutions has solved our high energy bills. Our electric bills keep increasing and now after our solar panels have been installed our first bill has shown a nearly 50% decrease. Everyone at Solar Energy has been so friendly and helpful throughout the whole process. Keeping in touch with us and letting us know what to expect with every step was so helpful and we found it to be very comforting.