Solar permitting — McLean County, Illinois
183 indexed meetings (30 energy-related), 20 news items.
Highest saturation in Illinois (tied with Bureau); deeply permissive culture; one of the top solar markets in the US by MW capacity under development. Permitting: McLean County: CUP or Special Use Permit in Agricultural; 150-ft max /…
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
McLean County: CUP or Special Use Permit in Agricultural (A-1) district.
Setbacks & buffers
McLean County: PA 102-1123 statewide floor: ≥50 ft from property line; ≥150 ft from residence; ≥50 ft from ROW; ≤20 ft height.
Spacing requirements
None codified.
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
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.
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
50% by 2040 (100% clean by 2045) | CEJA / PA 102-0662 (2021) | 3,000 MW IL Shines community solar target | 20 ILCS 3855
State incentive programs
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.
Grid & interconnection
MISO / Ameren Illinois Transmission (AIT) zone — Illinois's most interconnection-active county
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No standalone county BESS ordinance confirmed.
Local BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1
No organized opposition on record for this county yet — no petition, group, or oppositional coverage tracked. Absence of opposition is a positive siting signal.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- 🔒Project track record
- 🔒Developer intelligence
- 🔒Community & board sentiment
- 🔒Governing board
- 🔒Sentiment rollup
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
Halo color = sentiment of the relevant agenda excerpt: green positive, yellow neutral, red negative.
- 2026-06-17 Zoning BoardData Center
The County Board will consider a data center proposal for McLean County.
- 2026-06-11 County BoardData Center
The McLean County Board approved a data center project with conditions.
- 2026-06-08 OtherWind
McLean County Regional Planning Commission approved a regional planning service agreement for their fiscal year July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
- 2026-06-02 Transportation BoardWind
The McLean County Planning Commission voted to approve a Road Use Agreement with Panther Grove 2 Wind Farm for wind farm development.
- 2026-05-14 County BoardSolar
Archtop Solar, LLC requests approval of an escrow agreement for a Commercial Solar Energy Generating Facility in McLean County.
- 2026-05-11 OtherSolar
Archtop Solar, LLC requests approval of an escrow agreement for a Commercial Solar Energy Generating Facility in McLean County.
- 2026-05-05 Transportation BoardSolar
Archtop Solar, LLC requests approval of an escrow agreement for a Commercial Solar Energy Generating Facility in McLean County.
- 2026-04-17 Zoning BoardBESS
The County Board approved a special-use permit for a commercial solar energy generating facility and a battery energy storage system in the Agriculture District.
- 2026-04-16 County BoardBESS
The McLean County Planning Commission approved a special-use permit for a commercial solar energy generating facility and battery energy storage system in the Agriculture District.
- 2026-03-17 Zoning BoardData Center
The County Board approved a data center proposal for McLean County.
- 2026-03-12 County BoardData Center
The McLean County Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 5 MW commercial solar energy generating facility on approximately 32 acres of an 80-acre property in the Agriculture District.
- 2026-01-15 County BoardSolar
PureSky Energy requests approval of escrow agreements for four Commercial Solar Energy Generating Facilities in McLean County.
- 2026-01-12 OtherSolar
PureSky Energy requests approval of escrow agreements for four Commercial Solar Energy Generating Facilities in McLean County.
- 2026-01-07 OtherData Center
The McLean County Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
- 2026-01-07 OtherSolar
The McLean County Planning Commission voted to approve a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
- 2026-01-06 Transportation BoardSolar
PureSky Energy requests approval for four Commercial Solar Energy Generating Facilities in McLean County.
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
- 2026-06-22 Consultant From Normal Wants To Diversify The Data Center Discussion In Mclean County
- 2026-06-15 State Rep Sharon Chung Reflects On Media Protections Data Centers And More Following The Spring Legislative Session
- 2026-06-06 Trump Administration Blocks Illinois And National Wind Farm Development
- 2026-06-02 Bloomington Residents Put Questions On Data Centers Grocery Tax International Weapons To Nov Vote
- 2026-05-27 Bloomington Approves 6 Month Moratorium On Data Centers
- 2026-05-15 Bloomington To Consider Temporary Moratorium On Data Centers
- 2026-05-12 Mclean County Proposes Stricter Guidelines For Data Centers While Waiting For The State To Act
- 2026-05-07 Bloomington Residents Speak Out Against Data Centers At Public Forum
- 2026-04-27 Tidbits From Farmland Values Report
- 2026-04-18 Bloomington Refutes Online Reports Of Planned Data Center Plans Public Forums
- 2026-03-31 Bloomington And County Officials Say Data Centers Are Coming Yet
- 2026-03-24 Bloomington Police Unveils Plans For 550K Federal Grant Updating Real Time Crime Data Center
- 2026-03-16 Illinois Lawmakers Look To Regulate Data Centers As Local Governments Propose Their Own Rules
- 2026-03-06 Mclean County Board To Consider Zoning Changes Related To Potential Ai Data Centers
- 2026-02-20 Electric Rates Could Be Wobbly Again This Year
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