Community Solar Clearinghouse Solution Program (CS² Program) Simplifies Community Solar Procurement

Rainy Solar community solar project in Elgin, Illinois

Rainy Solar in Elgin is the first community solar project in the state. Through the CS2 program, eight communities subscribed to the project.

Acquiring community solar subscribers is a challenge for renewable energy developers. So in 2018, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and The Power Bureau identified the perfect community solar customers: municipalities. Municipalities do not move, they usually have good credit, and they have multiple small utility accounts that meet the requirements of the state’s community solar program.

The Caucus started the Community Solar Clearinghouse Solutions Program (CS² Program) to pool municipal subscribers and match them with community solar projects under development. The CS²  Program for Municipal Facilities simplified the subscription process for municipalities by identifying utility accounts that would realize savings, procuring the best rate from solar developers, and managing contracts and billing for communities to ensure cost savings.

When Rainy Solar in Elgin became the first community solar project completed in Illinois in October 2019, eight communities subscribed to the project through the CS² program, including Deerfield, Elgin, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, and Oak Park. The communities earn bill credits that will result in 10% electricity supply cost savings for the next 20 years. Among Caucus members, one other village has also signed on to a different community solar project: Fox River Grove.

Shift to Residential Subscribers

The Caucus and The Power Bureau have shifted their focus toward residential subscribers. The CS2 Residential Program allows municipalities to extend fair and transparent subscription terms to their residents and small businesses. Local governments provide a trusted voice to citizens to let them know that a community solar offer is credible. The CS2 Residential Program can provide subscribers with a guaranteed 10% savings of the community solar credits they receive on their bill. The program also provides equitable access to community solar by seeking projects that do not require credit checks.

Click on the map of CS2 Program community solar projects to find out more information, including the project’s name, address, and capacity.

The Caucus and The Power Bureau launched a pilot CS2 Residential Program in September 2020 in partnership with seven North Shore Electricity Aggregation Consortium (NSEAC) communities, including Deerfield, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Northbrook, and Skokie. It scaled up a successful pilot residential community solar aggregation model now underway with the Village of Oak Park. Other participating communities that have joined the CS2 Residential Program include the Cities of Elgin and Evanston, and the Villages of Bannockburn, Brookfield, Glenview, Homer Glen, Lombard, Mettawa, Mount Prospect, Niles, Northfield, Schaumburg, River Forest, and Wilmette.

The municipalities simply sponsor the CS² Residential Program by connecting residents directly to an approved community solar subscription offer.  Municipalities share information and utility customer lists. MC Squared Energy Services, LLC distributes direct mail to customers and manages subscriptions as the CS² Program Billing Administrator.

View a map of current CS² Program community solar project locations.

Find out more about the CS2 Residential pilot program in NSEAC communities by viewing the press release or the North Shore Community Solar Portal.

Participate in the CS² Residential Program

The CS2 Residential Program now invites all GRC Communities to participate. If your community is interested, then please follow the steps below to sponsor the CS2 Residential Program. The steps and documents can also be downloaded in one file, in Word or PDF format.

1. Complete an Expression of Interest form. The form is on the Submittable site and will serve as an account for your participation in CS2 Program: https://metropolitanmayorscaucus.submittable.com/submit/181541/residential-community-solar-clearinghouse-solutions-program-cs2-expression-of

2. Consult with The Power Bureau. Schedule a consultation with Mark Pruitt of The Power Bureau to determine the best community solar terms for your local government (markjpruitt@thepowerbureau.com or 219-921-3828).

3. Approve Subscription Terms and Participation. Municipalities must approve the commercial terms that the CS2 Program negotiates with community solar developers.  Early adopters will likely capture the best terms.

  • Attachment A: Please see a set of sample commercial terms for the community solar subscriptions currently available.

4. Pass a Resolution. The CS2 Program requires participating municipalities to pass a resolution approving participation in the CS2 Program.

5. Submit Endorsement Letter. The Illinois Power Agency requires that parties that endorse a community solar offer submit an Endorsement Letter.

  • Attachment C: Please see this Sample Endorsement Letter that will be submitted to the CS2 Program Billing Administrator. You may upload your completed Endorsement Letter to the Submittable webpage.

6. Please provide us with a mailing list of your residents and businesses. The list will be used to mail residents a postcard about the community solar program. The mailing list can be from water billing software, tax records, an emergency notification system, or any other updated list that your municipality keeps.

6.5. Upload your municipal logo to the Submittable website in .png format.

7. Register as a Marketing Designee. The Illinois Power Agency requires that parties that recommend community solar subscriptions to consumers be registered as Marketing Designees – including municipalities.

  • Attachment D: A step-by-step guide to registering as a Marketing Designee.
  • When you are done registering, please let us know your Marketing Designee ID by entering this into the Submittable website.

7.5 Indicate the community solar webpage and the physical address of your municipality that should be listed on the postcards to residents.

  • Please let us know on the Submittable website whether you will create a municipal webpage for the community solar program that will appear on postcards (See step #9 for example text and webpages.) or if you would like to display the general MC Squared Energy Services, LLC website on the postcards, which is: https://www.mc2energyservices.com/IL/Community-Solar/Join-The-Waitlist
  • In addition to the webpage, please let us know the physical address of your municipal building that you would like listed on the postcard.

8. Edit and Approve the Direct Mailer. MC Squared Energy Services, LLC will cover the cost of a mailing to all of your eligible residents.

9. Post CS2 Program Information on Municipal Website. The Program works best when residents can verify that the community solar offer is explained on the municipal website. Consider what information you want to provide to your residents.

10. Sign Up Municipal Accounts. Consider leading by example by enrolling some municipal accounts into the program (e.g., accounts served under the Watt-Hour or Small Commercial rate classes). All municipalities previously enrolled in the CS2 Program have had account analysis and terms provided.  These can be revisited upon request.

For more information, contact Edith Makra, Director of Environmental Initiatives, at emakra@mayorscaucus.org or contact Mark Pruitt, Principal at The Power Bureau, at markjpruitt@thepowerbureau.com. 

CS² Residential Program Resources

PowerPoint Presentation on the CS² Residential Program at the Environment Committee and Energy Subcommittee – Dec. 15, 2020 (To obtain a link to the recording of this meeting, please email cscott@mayorscaucus.org.)

Press/Awards on CS² for Municipal Facilities

Press/Awards on CS² Program for Residents

GRC Goal

The CS2 Program allows communities to progress on the Greenest Region Compact goal to “Advance renewable energy.”