Illinois Shines in 2026-27: REC Prices and the New Payout

Illinois Shines is the public name for the Illinois Power Agency's Adjustable Block Program. A participating rooftop customer generally transfers the project's renewable energy credits to an approved vendor. The program pays the vendor. Whether you see that money as a lower price is the disclosure form in front of you. It is not a check from this website, and it is not net metering.

2026-27 prices for small home systems

The Illinois Shines price sheet for the program year starting June 1, 2026 lists distributed-generation REC prices by group and size. For systems up to 10 kW AC, Group A is $70.37 per REC and Group B is $80.77 per REC. The 2026-27 Program Guidebook defines Group A as Ameren Illinois, MidAmerican, Mt. Carmel Public Utility, and rural cooperatives and municipal utilities in the MISO area. Group B is ComEd and the cooperatives and municipal utilities in the PJM area. A Chicago ComEd project and a Peoria Ameren project are not the same published price.

Those prices are for the block of capacity in that program year. Blocks fill. Vendors have to be approved. A system over 10 kW is a different row on the same sheet. This page does not decide who is accepted.

How the 2026 contract pays

The Small Distributed Generation page and the 2026-27 Guidebook describe a payment change. Small DG projects the Illinois Commerce Commission approves on or after June 1, 2026 receive 50 percent of the REC incentive at energization. The rest is paid over the following six years. Earlier contract years had paid small DG in full at energization. The disclosure should say which contract you are on. If the salesperson quotes the full REC value as cash at turn-on for a project approved after that date, ask them to show the 2026 schedule.

It is still not net metering

Net metering is the bill treatment of electricity you import and export. Illinois Shines states that new residential and small commercial customers of ComEd, Ameren, and MidAmerican after January 1, 2025 receive supply-only net metering. Delivery charges are billed on electricity pulled from the grid. Customers already on full retail net metering may keep it unless a change is treated as a new system. Source: the Illinois Shines consumer materials at illinoisshines.com.

Naperville's municipal utility and Springfield's City Water, Light and Power are not ComEd and not Ameren. Do not paste the ComEd REC price onto those bills. Naperville and Springfield say so on the city pages.

The federal residential credit under section 25D ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. An Illinois Shines payment does not restore that credit. Our estimate does not subtract either one.

Sources: Illinois Shines final REC prices for the program year starting June 1, 2026; Illinois Shines 2026-27 Program Guidebook; Illinois Shines Small Distributed Generation page; IRS FAQ on Public Law 119-21 (August 21, 2025).