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Solar incentives in Illinois

What is actually on offer here in 2026 — the state incentive, the federal position, and the export rule, which is usually worth more than either.

The state incentive

Illinois Shines + smart inverter rebate. REC payment of roughly $74-84 per REC on a 15-year production basis, plus $300/kW.

The federal position

§25D, the 30% residential credit, expired for systems placed in service after 31 December 2025 — installed, not merely purchased. §48E did not expire on that schedule, and a company owning panels on your roof under a lease or PPA can still claim it. That asymmetry, not anything specific to Illinois, is the largest single change in residential solar economics. The detail, with sources.

Rate schedules and export rules

What your surplus earns is set here, and it is where two identical systems a mile apart stop being comparable.

ComEd — Residential (post-2025 net billing)

Full retail net metering ended for systems energized in 2025 or later. Exports now earn the supply component only. Fixed charge $17.50/month. Summer Flat $0.17. Winter Flat $0.16.
Exports: 49% of retail — the supply portion of the bill only.
Source: Illinois PA 102-0662 net billing transition; ComEd residential supply/delivery split

Production in Illinois

Policy changes affecting Illinois

The 30% residential solar credit is gone. What replaced it is not a credit.The 4 July begin-construction deadline has passed. What that means for commercial projects.Net billing is the default now, and it changes what a solar panel is for

Work out your own number

Credits are the easy part. What decides payback is how much of your own production you use versus export, hour by hour, against the schedules above.

Open the payback calculator →

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