Spark Alerts: March 11, 2025

Note: This is a proof of concept for Spark Alerts, focusing on utility-scale solar news and policy updates in Illinois and Texas. Please help us improve by sharing your feedback with us!

📰 Market & Development News

Illinois

• Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing and meeting
  AHJ: Village of Barrington Hills
  March 10, 2025: The village of Barrington Hills approved amendments to its zoning code, outlining new zoning and SUP requirements for solar projects.
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• New Energy Equity Partners with Harlem Consolidated School District on Community Solar Project
  Developer: New Energy Equity
  AHJ: Winnebago County
  March 7, 2025: New Energy Equity has partnered with Harlem Consolidated School District to develop a 5.54 MWdc solar energy project. The project, originally developed by BOW Renewables, will be built on school district-owned land in eastern Winnebago County.

Texas

• Texas broke its solar, wind, and battery records in one spring week
  March 10, 2025: In the first week of March, ERCOT set new records for wind and solar production and battery discharge.

📢 Policy & Programs

Illinois

• HB2902- UTL- BOARD ELECT PLANNING

  • Provides that beginning on November 1, 2025, and every 3 years thereafter on November 1, all electric co-operatives, municipal power agencies, and municipalities shall file an integrated resource plan with the Illinois Power Agency.

  • AKA Municipal and Cooperative Electric Utility Planning and Transparency Act.

  • Introduced in House 2/6. Assigned to Rules Committee.

  • UPDATE- assigned to House Public Utilities Committee 3/4.

• HB2810- AGRICULTURE IMPACT MITIGATION

  • Authorizes the Department of Agriculture to temporarily halt construction or other activities on a project upon a finding of noncompliance with an agricultural impact mitigation agreement.

  • Introduced in House 2/6, assigned to Rules Committee.

  • UPDATE- assigned to House Energy & Environment Committee 3/4.

• SB2437- UTL- TIME-OF-USE PRICING

  • Ties in with the Municipal and Cooperative Electric Utility Planning and Transparency Act.

  • Increases annual cumulative savings goals for utilities with five hundred thousand to three million subscribers.

  • Provides that an utility that has a tariff approved within one year of the Act’s passage shall also offer at least one market-based, time-of-use rate for eligible retail customers.

  • Introduced in Senate 2/7, referred to Assignments Committee.

  • UPDATE- assigned to Senate Energy Committee 3/4.

• SB2387- AGRICULTURAL LAND CONSERVATION ACT

  • Would pay lessees for any agricultural land removed from production to develop a solar farm.

  • Introduced in Senate 2/7, referred to Assignments Committee.

  • UPDATE- assigned to Appropriations Committee 3/4.

• HB 3499/SB 2310- NET ELECTRICITY METERING

  • Promotes community generation, cost standardization for interconnection, and net metering.

  • Introduced in Senate 2/7, referred to Assignments Committee.

  • UPDATE- assigned to Senate Energy Committee 3/4.

Texas

• HB2349/SB1172- Tax Exemptions

  • Exempts certain transactions, including sale or lease of a solar property, from regulation by the TX Real Estate Commission.

  • Filed in House 2/3, filed in Senate 2/7.

  • UPDATE- Senate hearing scheduled for 3/11.

• HB4057- Prohibition of Abatement of Taxes on Renewable Facilities

  • A municipality may not enter into an agreement to exempt from taxation any real property on which a renewable energy facility is located or planned.

  • Filed in House 3/7.

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