Journal & Topics Media Group | Serving Chicago's Great Northwest Suburbs
Friday, June 19, 2026
A state initiative to work toward more accessible renewable energy sources hit home at the board of education meeting for Township High School Dist. 214 last Thursday.
The goal of this solar program is a bit different than what would typically be imagined from a renewable energy program: there is no onsite construction and no ownership of a solar farm by the district. Instead, Dist. 214 would become a “subscriber” of a much larger solar field in exchange for energy credits from ComEd, said Becky Thompson, senior energy advisor at Nania Energy Advisors.
According to Thompson, this program was designed around legislation from the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. “It requires that those credits flow through a third-party energy invoice rather than just going to the developer directly,” Thompson said. “Otherwise, they would not need you, and then it defeats the purpose of making that solar equitable and available for other subscribers.”
It is estimated that joining the program would save the district an average of ten percent on energy billing. According to Andrew Shaver, a founding partner at Community Solar Authority, the district would save about $150,000 of their $1.6 million in electric spending.
The savings likely would not start for another 12 to 18 months as the infrastructure and assets that Dist. 214 would use are still being built. Shaver said there is more demand than supply for projects like these. “In order for a public agency to have a shot at getting an asset when it becomes available, we have to do as much of the upfront work with the approval process as possible, so that way, when a contract comes up, we can bring it to you guys,” he said.
The district would be under a 20-year contract if they wish to sign, which is standard for community solar contracts. While this is a daunting number, Shaver recommends it for public institutions in particular as they are likely to see less drastic change throughout that time than a private company.
School districts across the state have been some of the “early adopters” of this program, Thompson said. “I have some school districts that are already receiving the credits on their bill, so they’re already experiencing the savings, and there are some school districts who signed a contract a year ago and are still waiting for that asset to be built, so it’s, you know, there’s going to be a large variability,” she said.
In the last year or so, 25 to 30 school districts as well as a ton of private companies have taken advantage of this incentive, Shaver said.
The board did not vote on community solar at this meeting, but will consider adding it to the agenda at future meetings as they learn more.
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