McLean County, IL — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

McLean County: PA 102-1123 statewide floor: ≥50 ft from property line; ≥150 ft from residence; ≥50 ft from ROW; ≤20 ft height.

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

Strongly supportive / revenue-focused

County Board vote history; ZBA records; IPA ABP registry; revenue share agreements

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.

McLean County Solar (Lightsource bp / BP) | 300 MW / ~2,400 acres | SUP Approved 2022 | Under development 2023–2025 — Heartland Divide area; largest single-project approval in McLean County history Prairie State Solar (undisclosed developer) | 150 MW / ~1,200 acres | SUP Approved 2020 | Operational — central McLean farmland Bloomington Community Solar (Clearway Energy Group) | ~50 MW | Operational 2021 — part of Clearway IL Dec 2020 portfolio covering DeKalb, McLean, Champaign, Will counties 22+ total approvals as of Mar 2026; one of IL's most active solar counties

No confirmed ICC-level denials. McLean County had multiple projects face Zoning Board resistance before PA 102-1123 (Jan 2023). Livingston County border: Niyol Wind Farm (LLC) CUP tabled 4-2 by Planning Commission April 2020 (Concerned Citizens for a Safe Logan County objections — near McLean border). Post PA 102-1123: county must approve compliant applications. Sources: RELDI Report 2021