Christian 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.

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

Highly resistant / community backlash

Policy signal (ordinance tightening); Project outcomes; Public opposition; potential litigation

Worsening

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.

Pre-2022 community solar approvals under FEJA incentives | 2–10 MW each | 2018–2022 | Ameren Illinois territory; multiple small projects operational [Prairiestar Solar denial and organized opposition network have effectively ended new utility-scale applications since 2022–2023]

Prairiestar Solar (developer: possibly Savion) | ~200 MW / ~1,600 acres | Application 2022–2023 | County board voted to DENY 2023–2024; organized opposition from multi-county network active in Shelby, Montgomery, Moultrie, Stark counties Multiple community solar applications tabled 2022–2024 by hostile board majority [Christian County is the epicenter of the central IL solar backlash cluster; PA 102-1123 limits further ordinance restrictions but board uses procedural delays]