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Dashboard Glossary

A

Advance of Capital (AOC)

A feature of the Equity Accountability System, Advance of Capital is the ability of Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs) to request an advance of a portion of REC Contract value prior to the associated project’s Energization. This capital advancement pre-energization is intended to serve EEC-certified businesses exhibiting true need and to support a more diverse Approved Vendor pool. Requests must be submitted with the Part I application and are limited to projects participating in the EEC category of Illinois Shines.

Approved Vendor 

A solar contractor or developer that enrolls solar projects in the Illinois Shines program and also sells the Renewable Energy Credits (“RECs”) generated from solar projects to the Contracting Utility.

C

Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA)

On October 30 2025, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act ("CRGA"). The bill was signed into law as Public Act 104-0458 by Governor J.B. Pritzker on January 8, 2026, and took effect June 1, 2026. CRGA is a comprehensive energy bill aimed at enhancing energy reliability, affordability, and sustainability by facilitating the development of new battery storage projects, improving energy efficiency, and introducing new long-term energy planning.

Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA)

CEJA (Public Act 102-0662) is a comprehensive energy legislation that expanded the Illinois Renewable Portfolio Standard and strengthens the diversity, equity, and labor standards applicable to the growing clean energy economy. CEJA tasked the Illinois Power Agency with a number of crucial implementation activities, including expansion of the Illinois Shines program to add new project categories and other enhancements. CEJA expanded on the Future Energy Jobs Act (Public Act 99-0906) which reflected significant collaboration and negotiation between energy companies, environmental groups, and consumer advocates, and mandated higher renewable energy targets in the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, including requiring 100 percent use of renewable energy sources in Illinois by 2050 and provisions to make solar energy more available to low- and moderate-income communities.

D

Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is charged with implementing many programs under CEJA, including the clean jobs workforce and contractor programs). To learn more about DCEO and these programs, visit https://www.illinoisworknet.com/CEJA/Pages/default.aspx  

Designee

Third-party entities that work with an Approved Vendor, and who have direct interaction with end-use customers. Current Illinois Shines Designee types include installers, entities that perform maintenance and repair, warranty holders, marketing, firms, lead generators, and sales organizations. Designees of Designees are referred to as Nested Designees.

E

Equity Accountability System

The Equity Accountability System is designed to expand access to clean energy workforce and business opportunities and help ensure that the benefits of  Illinois’ growing clean energy economy are broadly shared across communities throughout the state by establishing equity requirements in IPA programs and procurements, including Illinois Shines and competitive Indexed REC procurements, and following the passage of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), Illinois Solar for All and energy storage procurements. 

Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC)

The IPA Act defines an “Equity Eligible Contractor” (EEC) as a business that is majority-owned by eligible persons, or a nonprofit or cooperative that is majority-governed by eligible persons, or is a natural person that is an eligible person offering personal services as an independent contractor.  In Illinois Shines, Approved Vendors, Designees, and Subcontractors can register to become EECs.

Equity Eligible Person (EEP)

The IPA Act defines “Equity Eligible Person” (EEP) as a person who would most benefit from equitable investments by the State designed to combat discrimination, specifically:

  1. Graduates or current or former participants in the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program, Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program, or the Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program, and the Solar Training Pipeline and Multicultural Jobs Program;
  2. Persons who are graduates of or currently enrolled in foster care system;
  3. Persons who were formerly incarcerated; 
  4. Persons whose primary residence is in an Equity Investment Eligible Community (more information about these communities can be found on the Equity Investment Eligible Community Map page - https://energyequity.illinois.gov/resources/equity-investment-eligible-community-map.html#map-target)

Equity Investment Eligible Community (EIEC)

An Equity Investment Eligible Community (EIEC) is defined as the following areas (1) R3 Areas as established pursuant to Section 10-40 of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, where residents have historically been excluded from economic opportunities, including opportunities in the energy sector; and (2) Environmental justice communities, as defined by the Illinois Power Agency pursuant to the Illinois Power Agency Act, but excluding racial and ethnic indicators, where residents have historically been subject to disproportionate burdens of pollution, including pollution from the energy sector.

I

Illinois Shines

Formerly refered to as the "Adjustable Block Program (ABP)," Illinois Shines supports the development of new photovoltaic distributed generation systems and new photovoltaic community renewable generation projects in Illinois through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (“RECs”). For more information about Illinois Shines, visit https://illinoisshines.com/

Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA)

The Illinois Solar for All program promotes development of new photovoltaic distributed generation and new community renewable generation projects that serve low- and middle-income households, and non-profits and public facilities that serve and are located in environmental justice communities or income-eligible communities. For more information about Illinois Solar for All, visit https://www.illinoissfa.com/

M

Minimum Equity Standard

Section 1-75(c-10) of the Illinois Power Agency Act (“IPA Act”) requires that the Illinois Power Agency (“IPA” or “Agency”) establish an Equity Accountability System, which includes a Minimum Equity Standard (“MES”) for the project workforce of entities applying for renewable energy credit (REC) contracts under the IPA’s Indexed REC procurements and Illinois Shines program. The MES requires a certain percentage of an Approved Vendor or Designee’s workforce to be Equity Eligible Persons. The purpose of the MES is to ensure increasing access to employment in the Illinois clean energy sector for those who historically have been excluded from such opportunities. 

R

Renewable Energy Credit (REC)

When renewable energy is generated, two things are created: (1) the actual electricity, and (2) the environmental benefits associated with the fact that the electricity was produced without burning fossil fuels like coal or natural gas. Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are the way that electricity and those environmental benefits are tracked and accounted for. One credit equals one MWh of generated energy.