Jackson County Community Solar Modeling Results

Summary

Jackson County, Illinois, a U.S. Communities LEAP pilot participant, sought assistance in developing a community solar roadmap. NREL modeled six scenarios (200 kWac, 500 kWac, 5,000 kWac) with varying investment tax credits (30% or 60%) to assess economic viability within Ameren's service territory. The modeling found that community solar is economically viable, yielding positive net present value for both developers and subscribers, primarily due to 60% ITC and Illinois Solar for All (SFA) program REC payments, which ranged from $74.60/MWh to $107.95/MWh for 20-year contracts. For example, the 5,000 kWac project with 60% ITC (Scenario 3A) showed an NPV of over $3.7 million and a Levelized Cost of Energy of 8.10 ¢/kWh. Subscribers are projected to save approximately $222 annually for a 4 kW subscription, based on the required 50% bill savings.

Key Facts

Source Document

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