Illinois Green Economy Network
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IGEN receives funding in the amount of $2 million from the Renewable Energy Resources Trust Fund (RERTF) through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for education and training for renewable energy, energy efficiency technology, and for the operations and services of the network.
Active members of the IGEN network are eligible to submit funding proposals for activities, programs, and projects related to the grant’s scope of work and annual budget. Proposals are subject to approval based on criteria through an evaluation and review process. Funding proposals are evaluated according to five criteria: alignment with IEPA and IGEN goals, project plan, project impact, need for support, and budget and fiscal viability.
Proposed activities, program, and projects include, but are not limited to:
- Curriculum development and other support to enhance current or create new energy efficiency and renewable energy-related courses and programs.
- Energy efficiency and renewable energy-related equipment, installation, and upgrade projects for campuses as living laboratories, with a demonstration, education, or training component requirement.
- Campus and community energy-related conferences, events, and workshops.
- Customized energy efficiency and renewable energy-related education and training with industry partners.
- Energy-related audits or feasibility studies.Energy-related efforts and partnerships for career pathways to grow the green workforce.
FY26 Projects
| Heartland Community College | Heartland Solar Array: Support construction of Phase 1 of Heartland Community College’s Solar Array Field project, expected to generate 1,878,220 kWh of energy – 22% of campus energy use. | $200,000.00 |
| John A. Logan College | F-Wing Building Envelope and Insulation: Construct a new insulated wall section above the existing glazing line of the F-Wing Conference Center on the main campus of John A. Logan College as recommended in a 2024 SEDAC campus energy audit. | $40,311.00 |
| John Wood Community College | DSI Mechanical Drives Trainers: Purchase a DSI Mechanical Drives Training System for the JWCC Work Force Development Center to elevate knowledge and hands-on training in the HVAC and Industrial Technology programs. | $60,054.00 |
| Joliet Jr. College | LED Lighting Retrofit: Retrofit interior fluorescent fixtures to LED in dining areas, bathrooms, corridors and stairways. | $68,431.00 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College | Solar Site Survey and Design Course Development: Create a new Solar Design Training course building on existing sustainability and construction programming to provide a focused pathway in solar design and system assessment. | $38,567.00 |
| Lincoln Land Community College | Solar Powered Commercial Contrcution Training Lab: Install a 30kW roof mount solar array to enhance curriculum and instruction for students enrolled in LLCC’s Construction, Elecrical, and HVAC programs. | $200,000.00 |
| McHenry County College | Sustainability Professional Development and Training: Increase the number of instructors who incorporate sustainability practices into their curriculum and improve student knowledge of the three principles of sustainability. | $14,500.00 |
| Moraine Valley Community College | T8 Lighting Replacement: Replace four hundred and twenty-four (424) T8 lighting fixtures with LED lights in Buildings M, D, and C on the campus of Moraine Valley Community College resulting in an estimated savings of 63,800 kWh/yr.” | $83,864.00 |
| Rend Lake College | Student Center Efficiency: Complete energy efficiency improvements to windows and exterior walls following recommendations made by SEDAC during a site visit in February 2025 and as outlined in the document titled: Student Center Technical Assistance (revised July 21, 2025 | $199,951.00 |
| Shawnee Community College | Updated HVAC: Install dedicated, high-efficiency mini-split air conditioning systems with roof-mounted condensers for four (4) major IT/server rooms across multiple campus buildings to provide continuous, reliable cooling to critical digital infrastructure. | $51,262.00 |
| South Suburban College | Thermostate Motion Control at SSC Main Campus: Enhance the existing Delta Controls system by integrating motion control into the related room occupancy control logic for all 3rd and 4th floor zones as recommeneded by SEDAC/EnergySense assessment in 2025. | $92,344.00 |
| South Suburban College | Charging Stations: Purchase and install two (2), Dual Level II Mount EV Series Pedestal Systems for the purpose of providing a renewable energy source to support one EV within SSC Campus Police and two EV trucks for the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM). | $19,974.00 |
FY25 Projects
IGEN received 39 project proposals and was able to issue sub-awards for 14 projects in the competitive evaluation process. IGEN awarded $1,064,275 in the initial application cycle for FY25. Projects awarded for FY25 are as follows:
| College of DuPage | Greenhouse Solar Panels & In-Floor Heating and Sustainable Learning | $100,000 |
| College of Lake County | Carbon Accounting Workforce Development | $31,760 |
| Illinois Eastern – Frontier | Battery-Powered Mowers for Energy Efficiency | $39,250 |
| John Wood | Learning Center and Activity Center LED Project | $97,991 |
| Joliet Junior | LED Lighting Retrofit | $100,000 |
| Kankakee | Renew Kankakee Conference | $6,199 |
| Kaskaskia | Enhancing Educational Energy Efficient | $128,066 |
| Lewis & Clark | Greenhouse Renovation Project | $98,120 |
| Lincoln Land | Child Development Center Solar | $123,818 |
| McHenry County | Increasing Energy Efficiency with LED Lighting Upgrades | $24,000 |
| McHenry County | Credit and Noncredit HVAC Curriculum and Training | $47,946 |
| Rend Lake | Murphy-Wall Campus Solar Installation | $74,995 |
| Rend Lake | LED Lighting Upgrades | $92,130 |
| Shawnee | Building Envelope Improvements | $100,000 |
FY24 Projects
IGEN received 32 project proposals and was able to issue sub-awards for 13 projects in the competitive evaluation process. IGEN awarded $1,007,409 in the initial application cycle for FY24. Projects awarded for FY24 are as follows:
| College of Lake County | Implement two small hydroponic farm systems at the Lakeshore campus; Install customized interpretive/ educational signage describing the positive energy savings resulting from controlled environment agriculture. Engage students, staff, and community members in hydroponics. In addition, the college received supplemental funding for LED lighting upgrades. |
$41,610 and $54,619 |
| Danville Area Community College | Acquire geothermal training system including a mobile learning system with desuperheater, diagnostic modules, flush cart learning system, and heat pump training aides. Incorporate geothermal training system into expanded and modernized HVAC courses. | $95,000 |
| Elgin Community College | Convert a shipping container into a hands-on training space that will include solar PV panels, inverters, cables, mounting structures, and other components. Incorporate technology and simulations to enhance experiences in courses with solar array training. | $39,150 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges – Frontier Community College | Purchase and install 100 solar bollard lights, pouring new concrete bases for new bollards. Hold a “Lighting Ceremony” once the project is completed for employees, students, and community members; Deliver presentations, activities and special events for college students, senior citizens, K12 students, local conservation organizations and others. | $41,500 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges – Lincoln Trail College | Install 4 outdoor seating tables and 2 free-standing tables with solar charging capabilities. Update and enhance curriculum within Process Technology Programs and 3 transfer science courses that incorporate such new technologies. Hold community presentations that emphasize the importance of energy conservation, renewable energy and reducing the carbon footprint. | $63,695 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges – Olney Central College | Olney Central College received supplemental funding to install LED lighting. | $16,292 |
| Illinois Valley Community College | Construct Solar PV system on the Building J roof, including 404 solar panels, rated at 182 kW DC. Integrate the solar PV system into IVCC renewable energy curriculum programs. Students may be involved in the training and demonstration of components during installation. | $181,415 |
| John Wood Community College | Purchase and install 8 small lights (10,000 lumens/73 watts) and 107 larger lights (14,200lumens/106 watts). Students in Electrical Technology degree and Electrician certificate programs will receive information about benefits of LEDs over traditional lighting technologies. | $82,439 |
| Joliet Junior College | Replace 120 fluorescent fixtures in Romeoville B Building with 4F LEDs. Replace 690 fluorescent fixtures on Main Campus with 4F LEDs. Replace 25 parking lot lights 140W E39 LEDs. Incorporate retrofit project into HVAC 231 and onto self-guided sustainability tour. Joliet also received supplemental funding for LED lighting. |
$200,000 and $45,223 |
| Kaskaskia College | Purchase and install air and electric to EV lift in-ground lift for the automotive training program. Incorporate electric vehicle lift training into Electric Vehicle Automotive Technology Program courses. | $56,650 |
| Lake Land Community College | Lake Land Community College received funding for installation of EV charge stations. | $15,000 |
| McHenry County College | Purchase 250 LED bulbs and fixtures in approximately 25 classrooms in Building A. Provide students with the opportunity to observe and learn from energy statistics available from the utility website and displayed via dashboard. In addition, McHenry County College received supplemental funding for energy management software in the amount of $11,808. | $24,450 and $11,808 |
| Morton College | Morton College received additional supplemental funding for electric vehicle charging stations. | $15,000 |
| Rend Lake College | Purchase and install 92 kW DC ground-mount solar PV with 126 panels and 4 SunnyBoy TL10000 systems on the main campus in Ina. Provide educational offerings to students, staff and community members about the benefits of environmental stewardship and energy conservation. The college also received supplemental funding for LED lighting upgrades. | $130,000 and $20,600 |
| Sauk Valley Community College | Replace 4500 existing CFL bulbs with LED by-pass bulbs. Install lighting controls on existing LED fixtures per project application narrative. Report energy savings (kWh) resulting from installation of LED bulbs and lighting controls. Offer workshops to showcase to the community and students the energy savings realized by moving to LED and how spaces can be controlled. Purchase and install 3 Sunbolt Dash Charging Stands. Engage students with the installation process and to interact with the stations once on campus. | $35,000 and $16,500 |
| Shawnee Community College | Shawnee Community College received supplemental funding for installation of an EV charge station. | $6,070 |
| South Suburban College | South Suburban College received supplemental funding for LED lighting upgrades. | $16,292 |