Sangamon County, IL — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

Sangamon County ZO Ch. 17.37 (2018, updated 2023): PA 102-1123 statewide floor: ≥50 ft from property line; ≥150 ft from residence; ≥50 ft from ROW; ≤20 ft height.

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

Supportive / mixed (state capital policy awareness)

R-majority board with documented hostility; multiple applications tabled or denied 2021–2024; board reversed its own solar vote (Illinois Times Jan 2025); listed hostile by env. groups 2023; Springfield area; PA 102-1123 still allows counties to say no per IL Environmental Council

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.

Trajectory Energy Partners | ~300 acres | Springfield-area | County Board initially denied in May — reversed course and approved in July 2025. Board member Tracy Sheppard (R-Auburn) switched from yes to no; Clyde Bunch (D-Springfield) switched from 'present' to yes; Pam Deppe (R-Chatham) switched from no to yes — project narrowly approved on second vote. Project: 15-ft tall black solar panels, 7-ft chain-link fence, 1,000–1,200 ft from Westview Park homes. Homeowners Association VP Dale Matthews: 'no one wants an industrial development next to a residential development.' Trajectory: farmland taken = <0.007% of county's 500,000+ acres. Sangamon among 15 counties cited as having 'effectively banned or significantly hindered' solar before PA 102-1123 (HB 4412 sponsor language). Sources: Illinois Times illinoistimes.com Jan 24 2025

Trajectory Energy Partners: County Board initially voted to DENY in May 2025. Project returned in July 2025 — board reversed denial on second vote after member switches. Sangamon named as one of 15 IL counties that 'effectively banned or hindered' solar per HB 4412 (PA 102-1123) sponsor statements before the law's passage Jan 2023. Westview Park HOA opposition: property values, farmland loss, 'eyesore' concerns. Sources: Illinois Times Jan 24 2025