Welcome to the North Shore Community Solar Portal

Deerfield • Glencoe • Highland Park • Lake Bluff • Lake Forest • Northbrook • Skokie

North Shore Electricity Aggregation Consortium

Support Renewable Energy and Secure Guaranteed Savings with Community Solar

Residential and Small Commercial consumers located in the North Shore can capture the benefits of solar without any investment or installing any solar panels on your roof.

With the CS² Program, North Shore consumers can:

  • Support new solar development in northern Illinois
  • Save off ComEd energy supply costs with a guaranteed 20% savings off net metering credits
  • Sign up for $0 cost
  • Stay with your current utility
  • Terminate at any time for $0 cost

With Community Solar, a typical* North Shore home can support the deployment of 30 solar panels at a community solar farm and secure as much as $130 per year in their net metering credit value.

* Average single family residential home using 1,000 kWh’s per month

Large scale community solar gardens are developed at off-site locations by private developers to generate clean, carbon-free electricity.

No solar rooftop panels are required on your residence.

The community solar garden generates clean, carbon-free electricity and supplies it to the utility’s power grid for delivery to its distribution customers including homes, schools and business.

You enroll as a subscriber to the community solar facility, and you receive a net metering credit on your monthly utility electricity invoice for your portion of the solar power generated each calendar month. MC Squared Energy Services bills you separately for 80% of the net metering credit you receive, and therefore you retain 20% as your monthly savings! There are no other fees involved – it’s that simple to support solar generating resources in Illinois and receive a guaranteed savings for participating.

Signing up for Community Solar is Easy

There is no cost or obligation to put your name on the CS² Program using the form below. Once you’ve submitted your information, the CS² Program Administrator – MC Squared Energy Services – will review you account for the following:

  • Ensure that your account qualifies under ComEd’s rules; and,
  • Identify the Subscription size that is right for your account.

MC Squared Energy Services will inform you by email once your account has been confirmed, and again when a community solar farm that is participating in the CS² Program is ready to commence operations. At that time, you may choose to complete the enrollment process and start receiving your net metering credits.



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IPA Community Solar Brochure


Click to View IPA Community Solar Brochure

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by the Illinaois Commerce Commission

 MC Squared Energy Services, Electric Equipment & Supplies - Retail, Chicago, IL

FAQs

A community solar project is a single site solar installation that is shared by multiple consumers (termed “subscribers”). Each subscriber receives credits for their share of the electricity generated by their community solar installation (termed “net metering credits”). These net metering credits reduce the amount of electricity charged to the subscriber’s account each month to yield cost savings. With community solar, subscribers can reduce their monthly bills with solar without installing or maintaining any equipment on their property.
The CS² Program is a program developed by the North Shore communities of Deerfield, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Northbrook and Skokie to provide a simple and effective way for residents to support renewable energy development in northern Illinois while reducing the cost of electricity.
FEJA refers to legislation passed in 2016. FEJA made many changes to how energy policy works in Illinois, including enabling community solar. FEJA also includes new state administered programs called the Adjustable Block Program and Solar for All that help support community solar development, however community solar projects are not obligated to participate in these state programs.
Community solar projects generate electricity, and that power is delivered into the electric grid of the utility. Consumers can sign up (“subscribe”) to a community solar project and receive monthly net metering credits based on the size of their subscription. These net metering credits reduce the amount of electricity charged to the subscriber’s account each month to yield cost savings.
It is an easy way to support clean energy generation located within Illinois. Supporting these types of projects helps reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and support clean energy generation. In addition, you do not have to invest in a solar asset on your rooftop, which may not be right for everybody. You will receive a net metering credit on your monthly ComEd electric utility bill for your share of the generation created by these projects. The program does not have upfront costs, will not lock you into a long-term contract, and will provide savings if the subscriber follows a few simple steps.
The CS² Program uses a two-stage subscription billing process.

First, after successfully completing the enrollment process, you will receive the net metering credits on your monthly ComEd electric utility bill for your share of the generation created by your community solar project under the utility’s default electricity supply tariff service. The invoice examples below show you how this works.

Then, after you have received you net metering credits from ComEd, MC Squared Energy Services, LLC will bill you for 80% of the net metering credits – leaving you with 20% of all net metering credits. Your monthly bill from MC Squared Energy Services, LLC will also report how your participation impacts the environment each month.
The CS² Program was launched in October 2020. North Shore residents can sign up now to reserve space on one of the community solar projects participating in the CS² Program. Once community solar projects are completed, residents on the reservation list will be informed that they can enroll in a subscription on a first come-first served basis. There is no cost to place your name on the reservation list, and you can remove your name at any time.
Each community solar project can support approximately 300 residential and small commercial accounts. Residents on the reservation list will be contacted as new community solar subscription opportunities become available through MC Squared Energy Services, LLC as subscription agent for the project developer.
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are attributes generated by community solar projects. Under the Illinois Shines program, community solar owners sell the RECs generated from our community solar farms to Illinois utilities to help the state of Illinois reach required renewable energy targets set by the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard.
Illinois Shines, or the Adjustable Block Program, is a state-administered program for new solar PV systems. You can learn more about Illinois Shines by reading this brochure.

Questions?


Email us at
NorthShoreCommunitySolar@mc2energyservices.com

Call us at
1-833-949-2810
*You may choose a community solar offer from other Approved Vendors. For a complete list of your options, visit https://illinoisshines.com/approved-vendor-info/.
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