Engineered, permitted, and built for Rockford manufacturers: turnkey commercial solar from one accountable team.
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Rockford carries the largest concentration of aerospace production employment in Illinois, and industrial machinery employment here runs several times the national average. That puts heavy, predictable electrical load under some of the largest roofs in the northern half of the state, which is the profile that makes on-site generation worth modeling in the first place.
We are a commercial solar EPC company, which means we handle engineering, procurement, and construction under a single contract. Our team carries the project from design through construction and interconnection. We settle the design first, then file for permits, build the system, and see it through ComEd approval. Rockford is one of the Illinois markets we cover from our Evanston base.
Manufacturers here work to aerospace quality standards, and that changes how a solar project has to be run. Suppliers holding AS9100 and Nadcap certification operate inside documented process control, so your quality team will want test records, protection settings, and monitoring documentation that hold up in an audit. We build that turnover package into the job instead of assembling it after the fact.
Roof structure comes next. We check whether a roof can carry an array under northern Illinois snow and wind loads before we model any savings, because that answer drives racking choice, attachment spacing, and sometimes the decision to move the array off the roof entirely. Where the roof cannot take it, unused acreage or a parking canopy usually can.
Machine-heavy plants also pay dearly for short, sharp demand peaks. Pairing the array with battery energy storage, or BESS, lets you discharge through those peaks rather than buying them at your highest rate.
One company owns the whole project, from the first roof measurement to permission to operate.
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We start with your interval data, roof or land area, and electrical service. Energy modeling tells us what the site can generate against what your operation actually consumes, and financial modeling turns that into a case your finance team can check line by line.
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Our engineers develop the structural, electrical, and layout drawings for your specific building, including snow and wind load calculations and protection design. Equipment selection happens here, so procurement follows a stamped design rather than a catalog guess.
We prepare and carry every submission: state-level requirements, the authority having jurisdiction, or AHJ, in your municipality, and the ComEd interconnection application and coordination. Your staff does not chase paperwork between agencies.
Our own construction leadership runs the build, coordinates inspections, and commissions the system under load. You receive a monitored, producing asset, a full turnover package, and permission to operate, with O&M available afterward.
Federal and state programs change, so we model your project against the rules in force when construction begins.
Federal Clean Electricity Investment Credit
The federal clean electricity investment credit replaced the older energy investment tax credit framework for eligible clean electricity projects, and commercial solar may qualify for increased credit value when applicable requirements are met. For many projects the commonly discussed 30% federal incentive depends on whether the project satisfies applicable rules, including prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements. 93Energy does not replace your tax advisor, though our documentation keeps your financial team supplied.
Illinois Shines and SRECs
Illinois Shines is the state program that pays commercial owners for the power their systems produce, through solar renewable energy credits, or SRECs. 93Energy is a registered Approved Vendor on the state's official list, which is what allows a vendor to enroll projects and deliver those payments. We model SREC revenue alongside energy offset so the full return sits on one page before you commit.
Depreciation and Financing Structures
Accelerated depreciation can improve the after-tax return, and ownership structures range from capital purchase to structured financing that preserves cash for production. Many Rockford manufacturers own the system to capture incentives and asset value. We will model the options against your own capital plan.
The strongest candidates in this market are the buildings working hardest, and Rockford has an unusual density of them.
Precision machining, metals work, and aerospace supply carry steady daytime load under large roofs, which is the cleanest match for on-site generation in the region.
Rockford's freight and parcel operations sit on wide, flat, largely unobstructed roofs. That geometry keeps array layout simple and structural penetrations few.
City and county facilities answer to budget cycles and public reporting, and a metered array gives both a number. We have delivered a 260KW public works project on that basis.
Disprove the notion that solar panels are excessively expensive, and embrace cleaner energy. Solar panel installation in Joliet is affordable, thanks to various local, state, and federal solar installation incentives that decrease costs. 93Energy offers customers top-notch solar panel financing options. In the long run, financing solar energy saves you money as electricity prices keep rising. To discover more about financing solar panels for your business, speak with our nearby solar experts here.
Illinois Shines Approved Vendor. Registered on the state's official Approved Vendor list as a distributed generation installer and project developer.
One contract, one point of accountability. Engineering, procurement, construction, and development sit under our roof, not across a chain of subcontracted vendors.
All permitting and interconnection handled. State requirements, your municipal AHJ, and ComEd coordination are ours to carry.
An Illinois company since December 2018. We work out of Evanston and build across the state.
Commercial-scale projects on the board. Our portfolio currently includes a 527KW heavy manufacturing installation, a 3MW industrial project, and a 260KW public works build.
Storage and EV charging in the same build. Battery storage and EV charger installation can be engineered into the project now or added later.
Rockford facility managers tend to ask the same five questions early, usually before a roof has even been measured.
Four things: engineering and design, municipal permitting, construction, and ComEd interconnection through permission to operate. Interconnection and permitting are the variable pieces, since review times differ by jurisdiction and by service size. We sequence procurement against the approval calendar rather than ordering equipment early and storing it.
That is a structural question we answer before proposing anything. Our engineers run snow and wind load calculations for your specific structure. Plenty of Rockford roofs qualify, and where one does not, ground mount or a parking canopy is usually the better home for the array.
Yes, and the plan should say how. We map shutdown windows, crane paths, roof access, and electrical cutovers with your team during pre-construction, so the only downtime is downtime you scheduled.
Generally the federal clean electricity investment credit plus Illinois Shines SREC revenue, and accelerated depreciation on top. Eligibility and credit value depend on labor requirements, timing, and ownership structure, so we model your case and your tax advisor confirms it.
Both, start to finish. Once your design is set, we prepare and file the permit and interconnection applications, carry municipal and state permitting through inspection, and coordinate with ComEd through approval and permission to operate.
Commercial Solar Power
Send us twelve months of utility data and a roof plan, and we will tell you what your building can generate, what the incentives are worth under current rules, and what the schedule looks like through ComEd approval. The estimate carries no commitment and no obligation. We build for commercial owners in Rockford and across the rest of Illinois on the same terms.
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