PureSky Energy builds Illinois community solar project for low-income residents

A new community solar farm in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, is now up and running, built specifically for lower-income households. The 1.98-megawatt project, called McLean 1, comes from developer PureSky Energy and was built through the Illinois Solar for All program, which subsidizes solar access for income-eligible residents.

Community solar works differently than putting panels on your own roof. Instead, you subscribe to a share of a shared solar farm, and you get credited on your electric bill for the power it produces. Through this program, subscribers get guaranteed savings equal to 50% of the value of their solar credits, so there's a built-in discount rather than a variable one. The project also uses pollinator-friendly landscaping around the solar arrays, meant to support local plants and insects rather than just bare gravel or turf.

If you live in Illinois and meet the income guidelines for the program, you can look into enrolling by contacting PureSky Energy directly or checking pureskyenergy.com. This won't apply if you're outside Illinois, but it points to a broader option worth knowing about: many states now run their own community solar or "solar for all" programs aimed at renters and homeowners who can't install panels themselves, often with income-based savings guarantees. It's worth checking what your own state offers, since the details, savings percentages, and eligibility rules vary by location.