Government and Nonprofit
Incentives &
Financials

You might have questions about how solar will add to your organization’s bottom line. Here we guide you through available incentives and financing options.

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Solar Savings

Government and nonprofit dollars are finite. Stretch them further by lowering one of the largest operating expenses: your monthly electric bill. For Illinois organizations, a solar power purchase agreement (PPA) allows you to do just that along with no need for a capital outlay. 

Take advantage of federal and state incentives to reduce the total cost of your solar project. Solar financing for government and nonprofit organizations are making it affordable for tax-exempt entities.

Solar electricity has tremendous benefits for
Nonprofits & Government Institutions

GOVERNMENT & NONPROFIT
Solar Incentives

Discover incentives to help make solar more affordable for you.

Federal Incentives

Thanks to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, solar energy has become more affordable for government entities with the Direct Pay of the Federal Investment Tax Credit. This new feature of the tax credit allows non-tax paying entities to receive the full value of the tax credit by making the 30% tax credit refundable. Non-profit organizations and governments can use that direct payment amount to reduce the cost of their system.

A third-party investor can install and own a system on a tax exempt organization’s property and take full advantage of the federal tax incentives. The third party is then in a position to pass on some of the resulting monthly savings to their host.

Such a partnership could be structured in a number of different ways.  See your State’s Financing options to learn more.

State Incentives

When a third party investor is involved (ex: PPA) they take these incentives along with the federal tax incentives, and pass some of the financial benefit to you by selling you the array’s electricity at a lower than standard grid rate.

Illinois Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs)

Recover a significant portion of the original system cost with cash payments upfront or over 5 years, depending on system size, from the Illinois Power Agency. (Not available with PPA). Solar Renewable Energy Credits are based on the production of your solar PV system.

Learn more about SRECs.

$250/kW Smart Inverter Rebate in Illinois

A new $250/kW (DC) smart inverter rebate will soon be available for large commercial, industrial, and non-profit systems in Illinois, which are generally those in Ameren Illinois territory having a peak demand of over 150kW (rate DS-3 and above), and for ComEd customers, a peak demand more than 100kW. These installations will be required to incorporate “smart” inverter technology, which will be accessible to the utility to facilitate grid reliability. Note that these customers are eligible only for a so-called dual metering arrangement with credits per kWh at the utility’s ‘avoided cost’ (wholesale rate), if they elect to be designated as a Qualifying Facility.

See Net Metering 101

Solar-Powered Government & Nonprofits
Financing Options

A solar loan allows you to purchase a solar system and pay it off over time. The types of solar loans include:

Building the Financial Case for Solar

StraightUp Solar works with schools, government and non-profit organizations of all types to lower one of their largest operating expenses. StraightUp Solar is a mission-focused B Corp. Our mission is to empower communities to create a sustainable future by incorporating the benefits of solar electricity.

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