ComEd Rebates for Rooftop Solar Reach $100 Million

April 19, 2023 at 12:11 PM EDT

Church on Chicago’s Northwest Side presented rebate for $27,000

ComEd industrial and commercial customers, as well as schools and churches, have received a total of $100 million in rebates from the electric company for rooftop solar installations, including the St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in the Norwood Park neighborhood, which was presented today with a rebate check for $27,580.70. Established in 2019, ComEd’s distributed generation (DG) rebate program reduces the upfront costs of installing solar systems and spurs renewable energy development across northern Illinois.

“Our roof-top solar installation is enabling us to realize meaningful savings on our energy bill through ComEd’s DG rebate program,” said Rev. Todd Roberts, Pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church and School. “What’s more, it’s well aligned with our effort to be better stewards of the land and facilities under our management and reduce our carbon footprint.”

The 226 solar panels installed on the roof of the St. Paul Early Childhood Center generate approximately 91.9 kilowatts of clean energy – equal to one year of planting 1,435 acres of forest or removing greenhouse gas emissions from 268 gasoline-powered vehicles.

“We applaud St. Paul Lutheran for taking the initiative to support a cleaner energy future by installing rooftop solar panels at their school,” said Scott Vogt, vice president of strategy and energy policy at ComEd. “The DG rebate program is one example of the many ways ComEd continues to support the growth of solar in our service territory.”

ComEd estimates that solar power on its grid, including rooftop and community solar systems, will grow five times from almost 650 MWs today to about 3,300 MWs by 2030. In 2022, ComEd received a record-setting 19,292 applications from residential, commercial and industrial customers to connect solar panels and other distributed energy resources to ComEd’s grid, a 40-percent increase from the prior year.

The multi-year grid and rate plans ComEd filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) earlier this year support this rapid expansion of renewable energy and help ensure equitable access to the benefits of clean energy under the state's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. The plans align with ComEd 2030, the company's recently announced vision for a carbon-free energy future that will benefit all communities and meet customers' changing needs for the rest of this decade and beyond.

The DG Rebate program is available to commercial, industrial, and residential customers that install distributed generation projects as well as community solar projects. Owners and operators of a distributed energy generating system are eligible for rebates of $250 or $300 per kilowatt of generating capacity, dependent on customer rate class. Rebates are also available on energy storage systems associated with an eligible DG facility. To be eligible for the rebate, customers need to install a smart inverter, which converts direct current power to alternating current power.

Customers can learn more about the new ComEd rebate program requirements and apply for a rebate at www.comed.com/DGrebate.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.