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. Solar financing for government and nonprofit organizations are making it affordable for tax-exempt entities.

Solar electricity has tremendous benefits for
Nonprofits & Government Institutions

Often offers a lower rate than grid electricity on day one

Eliminates the possible uncertainty posed by unexpected rate increases

Lowers monthly utility costs

Reduces operating expenses for decades

Instills confidence in fiscal responsibilities among existing and prospective donors

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.

Illinois 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.

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

A new $250/kW (DC) smart inverter rebate will soon be available for large commercial, industrial, and non-profit systems, which are generally those in Ameren 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

Missouri Incentives

Local / Regional Rebates

The Ameren Missouri rebate will give back $0.25/watt to the customer.

Your system must be installed and pass final inspection from your local jurisdiction by December 31, 2023 to receive the rebate.

To qualify, the maximum array size is 25 kW (kilowatts) for a residential system and 150 kW for commercial.

Please see Ameren’s Customer-Owned Solar page for more information.

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:

Illinois

Missouri

Illinois

Missouri

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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See Our Solar Smiles

"There were a couple of reasons why we chose StraightUp Solar… First of all, we liked the people. They were incredibly helpful, very informative of the process, very patient as we went through our bidding process. Number two, they were local. Third… the price was very competitive in comparison with other vendors."

"To be honest, I was a little skeptical of solar at first. I didn't know if it would be a good fit for our organization as a manufacturer. I had a lot of questions and StraightUp Solar was able to answer those questions well... We developed trust so decided to move forward with StraightUp Solar. We needed a lot of help and StraightUp Solar was there to walk us through the process. It is a complicated project because you're working with utility providers, municipalities, raw material suppliers and StraightUp Solar was able to lay out a plan for us."

"The other really positive thing about StraightUp Solar is you have this big project, and when it's done you might have a sense of 'What do I do next?' They offer help after the project is implemented. They monitor our solar array to make sure it's generating power it should generate, they do regularly planned site visits to make sure everything's functioning. If I have questions I know I can call them. It's not one of those scenarios where they do the project and then they're gone. They're invested in us as a company and they care about our success."

“We were looking at putting in a larger system and from the first encounter with StraightUp Solar they knew all of the regulations and steps our system would have to adhere to. Not only were they incredibly knowledgeable about the entire solar process, but they were also friendly and easy to work with.”

"I have had the pleasure of working with StraightUp Solar for my commercial solar installation at Mountain Top Motor Co. I am very in-depth when it comes to interviewing companies to do business with. I asked a lot of hard questions and I wanted more information than your typical consumer. David at StraightUp Solar not only answered all my questions but taught me some things along the way. StraightUp Solar knew the equipment and the needs of my building more than any other company. They really put a lot of effort into building a quote and system even before a contract was awarded. Through the installation they were great communicators and everything went smoothly. Very impressed with the entire process."

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Government and Nonprofit
Incentives & Financials

Switch For
Solar Savings