Bill Text: IL SB1876 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that it is the policy of the State to promote and encourage the installation of distributed energy resources, such as distributed generation technology and advanced energy storage, and to limit obstacles to their use. Establishes that within 180 days of the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall create and administer a grant program facilitating the implementation of an online permitting process for residential photovoltaic solar energy systems for the purpose of modernizing and reducing the cost and time to obtain building permits for distributed generation. Provides that jurisdictions requiring permits for such systems may apply for a grant of up to $20,000 from the Department. Requires the Department to allocate a minimum of $1,000,000 in eligible funds to provide grants under the program. Requires the Department to disclose in a report on its website each jurisdiction which received a grant, the amount of each grant, the anticipated implementation date of the recipient jurisdiction's automated permitting platform, and other relevant information.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-03-22 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Sara Feigenholtz [SB1876 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB1876-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB1876 Introduced 2/9/2023, by Sen. Bill Cunningham SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 605/605-1110 new
Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that it is the policy of the State to promote and encourage the installation of distributed energy resources, such as distributed generation technology and advanced energy storage, and to limit obstacles to their use. Establishes that within 180 days of the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall create and administer a grant program facilitating the implementation of an online permitting process for residential photovoltaic solar energy systems for the purpose of modernizing and reducing the cost and time to obtain building permits for distributed generation. Provides that jurisdictions requiring permits for such systems may apply for a grant of up to $20,000 from the Department. Requires the Department to allocate a minimum of $1,000,000 in eligible funds to provide grants under the program. Requires the Department to disclose in a report on its website each jurisdiction which received a grant, the amount of each grant, the anticipated implementation date of the recipient jurisdiction's automated permitting platform, and other relevant information.
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A BILL FOR
SB1876 LRB103 26887 MXP 53251 b
AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois
is amended by adding Section 605-1110 as follows:
(20 ILCS 605/605-1110 new)
Sec. 605-1110. Small Solar Online Permitting Grant
Program.
(a) The General Assembly finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) It is the policy of the State to promote and
encourage the installation of distributed energy
resources, such as distributed generation technology and
advanced energy storage, and to limit obstacles to their
use.
(2) Onsite solar energy and onsite energy storage are
leading renewable distributed energy resource technologies
that will help this State reach its energy and
environmental goals, as well as provide essential
resiliency benefits at times of high energy demand and in
the event of grid outages.
(3) Implementation of consistent statewide standards

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to achieve the timely and cost-effective installation of
solar energy systems as well as energy storage systems is
not a municipal affair but is instead a matter of
statewide concern. The permitting processes governing the
installation of onsite solar energy systems and energy
storage systems vary widely across jurisdictions and,
contrary to the intent of the law, are both obstacles to
the State's clean energy and greenhouse gas reduction
goals and burdensome costs to homeowners, businesses,
schools, and public agencies.
(4) The United States Department of Energy, through
its SunShot Initiative, has distributed millions of
dollars in grants to local and state governments,
including a number of State jurisdictions, to reduce the
costs of rooftop solar through automated and standardized
permitting.
(5) A modernized, automated, and standardized
permitting process for installations of small-scale solar
technology on residential rooftops, energy storage
technology in residences, and associated distributed
energy resource technology in residences will lower
administrative costs for and time spent by municipalities
throughout the State, while maintaining safety standards.
(6) A modernized, automated, and standardized
permitting process for installations of small-scale solar
technology on residential rooftops, energy storage

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technology in residences, and associated distributed
energy resource technology in residences will lower costs
of the deployment of solar and battery solutions, help to
expand access to lower-income households, provide solar
customers greater installation ease, improve the State's
ability to reach its clean energy goals, expand grid
resiliency solutions, and generate much needed jobs in the
State, all while maintaining safety standards.
(7) A modernized, automated, and standardized
permitting process for installations of small-scale solar
technology on residential rooftops, energy storage
technology in residences, and associated distributed
energy resource technology will increase efficiencies in
local government, reducing costs and time requirements for
local jurisdiction staff.
(b) For the purposes of this Section:
"Economically disadvantaged community" means areas of one
or more census tracts where the average household income does
not exceed 80% of the area median income.
"Energy storage system" means commercially available
technology that is capable of absorbing energy and storing it
for a period of time for use at a later time, including, but
not limited to, electrochemical, thermal, and
electromechanical technologies, and may be interconnected
behind the customer's meter or interconnected behind its own
meter.

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"Jurisdiction" means any unit of local government
providing building or electrical permits to small photovoltaic
solar energy systems.
"Photovoltaic solar energy system" means a solar collector
or other solar energy device the primary purpose of which is to
provide for the collection, storage, or distribution of
electricity created from sunlight.
"Small residential photovoltaic solar energy system" means
a photovoltaic solar energy system with an installed direct
current capacity no greater than 25 kilowatts.
"SolarAPP+" means the most recent version of a web-based
portal, developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
United States Department of Energy, that automates plan
review, produces code-compliant approvals, and issues permits
instantaneously for small residential photovoltaic solar
energy systems and energy storage systems.
(c) Within 180 days of the effective date of this
amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly, the Department
shall create and administer a grant program facilitating the
implementation of an automated online permitting process for
residential photovoltaic solar energy systems for the purpose
of modernizing and reducing the cost and time to obtain
building permits for distributed generation. Jurisdictions
requiring permits for such systems may apply for a grant of up
to $20,000 from the Department. A jurisdiction that accepts a
grant shall implement an online, automated permitting

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platform, such as, but not limited to, SolarAPP+, that
verifies code compliance and issues valid and usable permits
in real time for eligible technologies. Online platforms shall
include an inspection checklist and be consistent with the
system parameters and configurations of SolarAPP+. As needed,
a jurisdiction may amend its ordinance to authorize a small
solar energy system, an energy storage system, or other
eligible technology to use the online, automated permitting
platform, as well as update its code as pertains to such
technologies to the most recent version of the National
Electrical Code, International Building Code, and
International Residential Code available at that time.
A jurisdiction that accepts a grant shall ensure its
online permitting platform includes:
(1) a clear description of all information required to
obtain a permit;
(2) the electrical, building, and residential code
year governing the jurisdiction's permitting requirements
for small residential photovoltaic solar energy systems
and energy storage systems; and
(3) the means to electronically pay for all permits
for solar photovoltaic solar energy systems and energy
storage systems.
(d) Nothing in this Section prohibits a jurisdiction that
accepts a grant from using grant funds to modernize its
permitting system for other items within that jurisdiction, so

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long as the core goals described in this Section are achieved.
(e) In establishing the grant program, the Department
shall expedite processing grant applications from local
jurisdictions serving environmental justice communities as
defined by the Illinois Power Agency under the Illinois Power
Agency Act and economically disadvantaged communities.
(f) The Department shall allocate a minimum of $1,000,000
in eligible funds received under the federal Inflation
Reduction Act, federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,
or other funding sources to provide grants under the program.
(g) Each quarter, the Department shall disclose through a
report available on its website each jurisdiction which
received a grant, the amount of each grant, the anticipated
implementation date of the recipient jurisdiction's automated
permitting platform, and other information deemed relevant by
the Department. The Department shall also maintain on its
website a list of jurisdictions utilizing an online automated
permitting platform.