Bureau County, IL — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

State floor applies: ≥50 ft from property line; ≥150 ft from non-participating residence; ≥50 ft from road ROW. No county-specific setbacks above this floor.

Bureau County: CUP or Special Use Permit in Agricultural (A-1) district.

Strongly supportive / economic development and agricultural revenue focus

R-majority board with 25+ solar approvals on record — one of IL's most active solar markets; two GreenKey Solar projects denied Dec 2023 on site-specific grounds (road use agreement gap, fence safety); not blanket hostility; Ameren Illinois territory

Stable

Local permit: Special Use Permit (SUP) in A-1 Agricultural zoning via county Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and/or County Board; process and conditions vary by county ordinance. ICC CPCN: Illinois Public Utilities Act §8-406 — Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) Certificate of Public Convenience & Necessity required for ALL generating facilities >2 MW, regardless of local SUP status; ICC process runs parallel to county SUP. PA 102-1123 (signed Jan 27, 2023): Preempts county ordinances that prohibit wind or solar; sets state minimum setback floor of ≥150 ft from non-participating property lines and ≥300 ft from occupied dwellings. Counties may set higher setbacks but not lower; wind/solar bans enacted before 2023 are invalidated. PA 103-0580 (Veto Session fall 2023): Trailer bill reinforcing PA 102-1123 preemption framework; addressed specific county attempts to circumvent preemption. CEJA 2021 (Climate & Equitable Jobs Act): Illinois RPS targets — 40% by 2030, 50% by 2040, 100% clean energy by 2045; IPA Illinois Shines program administers FEJA/CEJA incentive tranches for community and utility-scale solar.

Illinois Adjustable Block Program (Illinois Shines): 15-year SREC contracts for net-metered and community solar projects; administered by IL SHINES program. Solar for All (SFA): low-income community solar program with enhanced incentives. Illinois RPS: 50% renewable by 2040 (Future Energy Jobs Act); solar carve-out drives strong SREC demand. Net metering: available for ≤2 MW behind-the-meter systems (ComEd, Ameren IL). PACE financing: available in many IL counties. HB 4412 (2024): updated solar siting framework; county commission approval required for projects exceeding acreage thresholds in unincorporated areas. Utility: ComEd serves northern IL (Cook + 10 counties); Ameren Illinois serves central/southern IL; electric cooperatives serve rural downstate areas.

Rock Run Solar (GreenKey Solar / Invenergy) | ~300 MW / ~2,400 acres | SUP Approved 2021 | Under development — Bureau County planning records Prairie Wolf Solar (NextEra Energy Resources) | ~150 MW / ~1,200 acres | SUP Approved 2020 | Operational — Tiskilwa area Colona Solar (AES / Distributed Energy) | ~100 MW / ~800 acres | SUP Approved 2019 | Operational — Colona area near Rock Island border Multiple additional NextEra, Invenergy projects | 50–300 MW | 2018–2024 | 20+ total approvals; Bureau County is IL's most active solar approval jurisdiction per 2024 tracking

Zearing Solar 1 LLC (GreenKey Solar) | ~50 MW / ~400 acres | Application 2023 | DENIED Dec 2023 — Bureau County P&Z voted 3-0 to deny; County Board unanimously affirmed; reasons: neighbor concerns, projected property value decrease, 7-ft security fence safety concerns, village of Zearing and adjacent township objections Zearing Solar 2 LLC (GreenKey Solar) | companion application | Also DENIED Dec 2023 — same vote, same reasons; both applications denied simultaneously