Illinois Shine's Minimum Equity Standard (MES) Installer Resource

MES Background

The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) of 2021 established an Equity Accountability System (EAS) to promote equitable access to opportunities within Illinois’ clean energy economy. Central to this system is the Minimum Equity Standard (MES), which mandates minimum workforce equity commitments for participants in the Illinois Shines Adjustable Block Program (ABP). 

The Minimum Equity Standard, which took effect June 1, 2023, is a legal requirement which ensures that a minimum 10% of Approved Vendor’s and Designee’s project workforce will be comprised of Equity Eligible Persons (EEPs). This mandate aims to address historical barriers to employment in the clean energy sector. The MES will progressively increase over time, with a goal of reaching 30% by 2030, helping ensure  greater inclusion in the growing clean energy industry. Section 1-75(c-10) of the Illinois Power Agency Act (IPA Act) provides the legal foundation for these requirements.

For the purposes of the Minimum Equity Standard (MES), participation in the Illinois Shines Program includes the following activities:

• Submitting projects to the Illinois Shines Program.
• Carrying out construction on projects intended for submission to Illinois Shines.
• Engaging in sales or marketing activities for projects submitted or planned for submission to the Program.
• Managing subscriptions for Community Solar projects with Renewable Energy Credit (REC) contracts, including those approved before the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) was enacted.
• Maintaining projects on a waitlist.
• Conducting any other business related to projects seeking or holding a REC contract.

Minimum Equity Standard Obligations for Designees 

Participation in the Illinois Shines Program obligates all Approved Vendors and Designees—except Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs)—to annually demonstrate compliance with the MES. If an Approved Vendor or Designee fails to meet the MES requirements for a Program Year, they will be suspended and prohibited from further participation in the Program. To regain compliance, they may be required to implement a corrective action plan. Once the Vendor or Designee fulfills the requirements outlined in the corrective action plan and meets the MES standards, their suspension may be lifted.

Guide to the Equity Accountability System and Illinois Shines.

Minimum Equity Standard FAQ. 

Meeting MES Objectives

In order to meet your company’s MES Objectives, it is important to meet each of the ABP’s required submissions by the specified date. Please review the table below for report submission dates for the current Program year. 

2024-25 MES Compliance Schedule

• Mid-April – MES Compliance Plan for the following Program Year opens for submissions 

• May 1 – MES Year-End Report for the current Program Year opens for submissions 

• June 1 - Deadline for submission of MES Compliance Plan for the following Program Year 

• July 15 – Deadline for submission of MES Year-End Report for the previous Program Year 

*Dates may vary slightly each Program year. Retrieved from the 2024-2025 ABP Program Guidebook, p.104. 

Documenting Compliance Efforts

Each requirement should include any/all documents that show proof of correspondence/efforts made, and include dates associated with each event, contact or meeting, and the names and titles of each individual, where available.

MES Compliance Plans

At the start of each Program Year, Designees are required to submit a Minimum Equity Standard Compliance Plan that details their approach to meeting equity requirements for the year ahead. New Program registrants must include this plan with their initial application, while Equity Eligible Contractors (EECs) are exempt from this requirement. Designees that share a common parent company may submit a combined plan, provided they receive approval from the IPA.

The Compliance Plan must demonstrate a commitment to meeting equity standards, including the hiring of Equity Eligible Persons (EEPs) and Contractors (EECs). It should outline projected workforce demographics, such as race, gender, and participation in training programs. Additionally, the plan must include strategies for engaging EEPs and EECs, identify the applicant’s classification and describe local outreach efforts designed to enhance equity participation.

Once submitted, Compliance Plans are reviewed for completeness and a decision is issued within four weeks. If a plan is denied, the applicant has two weeks to revise and resubmit it. 

A template displaying the MES Compliance Plan’s questions, and a link to the current year Program year’s form can be found here: 2024-25 MES Compliance Plan Template and Submission Form. 

MES Mid-Year Report

All participating entities are required to submit a Mid-Year Report to showcase their progress in meeting the Minimum Equity Standard for the Program Year. If your organization encounters difficulties in meeting these requirements, the Program Administrator is available to offer tailored resources and support. To help maintain compliance with the MES, it is recommended that all participating entities submit a Mid-Year Report, which typically takes 10-15 minutes to complete.

MES Mid-Year Report for Indexed REC  Projects.

MES Year-End Report

All Designees and Nested Designees who participated in the Adjustable Block Program during the previous Program year must submit a Year-End Report (EECs are exempt from this requirement). 

The MES Year-End Report requires organizations to document their efforts in implementing and achieving compliance with the Minimum Equity Standard throughout the applicable Program Year.

In the report, Designees must provide details on the total workforce involved in projects, along with demographic information reflecting actual workforce composition. It should also include the total number of EEPs employed, as well as a description of the outreach strategies used to recruit them. Additionally, the report must present data on job training program graduates hired, workforce diversity statistics specific to Illinois, and a breakdown of employees by full-time, part-time, temporary, and contract positions.

MES Year-End Report Template for Program Year 2023-2024.  

Recorded Year-End Report Webinar (March 6, 2024).

MES Waiver

If your organization anticipates that it will be unable to reach the 10% MES target for Program Year 2023-24 by June 1, 2024, despite dedicated efforts, you are encouraged to submit a waiver request. To qualify, your organization must provide documentation of the outreach initiatives and recruitment attempts made to engage EEPs, along with an explanation of why these efforts did not succeed, resulting in noncompliance with MES requirements.

Waiver requests are reviewed using a point-based evaluation system, where each criterion is assigned a score. A minimum of 20 points is required for approval. You can access the waiver request template here.

Completed waivers should be sent to [e-mail]. 

MES Waiver Request Form.

MES Waiver Request Scoring Table for Union and Non-Union Organizations 2023-2024.

MES Waiver Request and Evaluation Rationale Document.

Non-Compliance and Disciplinary Action

If a Designee has failed to meet their MES objectives (i.e. failed to meet 10% of their project workforce being an EEP, failed to submit their MES Year-End Report) they will likely face disciplinary action from Illinois Shines, often in the form of a Program suspension. The Program will send a written notice to the Designee outlining the reasons for suspension, as well as any corrective actions the Designee may take in order to resume their active status.

 

MES Non-Compliance Corrective Action Plan 

The Program may ask the suspended Designee to submit a Corrective Action Plan where the Designee will  specify their planned steps to meet the MES objectives, and will expect the Designee to document any efforts to implement their submitted plan.  

MES Non-Compliance Corrective Action Plan Example Form (Program Year 2023-2024). 

 

Equity Eligible Persons Hiring Resources for Designees

Energy Workforce Equity Portal 

This portal is administered by the IPA and is designed to connect clean energy companies with Equity Eligible Persons seeking employment in Illinois' clean energy sector. Pleaser review the portal instructions here. 

Equity Eligible Persons can use the Portal to advertise their availability for potential employers, and clean energy companies can use this tool to seek EEPs and EECs for hire. In order to use the portal, please register your company as a clean energy company at this link. 

For companies who would like to register existing employees who meet the the requirements as EEPs, please fill out this form here. 

 

Equity Eligible Persons

Please refer to the MES FAQs for details on who is within the scope of the project workforce for MES: https://illinoisshines.com/vendor-faqs/

• R3 and Environmental Justice Communities Map.
  • • • Equity investment eligible communities refer to geographic regions across Illinois that stand to gain the most from state investments aimed at addressing discrimination. These communities include: (1) R3 Areas where residents have long been marginalized from economic opportunities, including those in the energy industry; and (2) Environmental justice communities where residents have faced disproportionate environmental burdens, particularly from pollution related to the energy sector. 
      • R3 Geocodes Table. 
  • List of Equity Eligible Contractors (please note this list will be updated periodically bu the Program)
  • Illinois Worknet,  IL Worknet Job Fair Calendar and IL Worknet Virtual Job Fair Booth 
  • Illinois Job Link 

The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) Resources and Programs

• List of CEJA Workforce Training Programs
• Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program
• Returning residents and formerly incarcerated Clean Jobs Training Program 
• Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition Job Training Resources

Organizations who offer Solar-Training Pipeline Programs

• Elevate Energy
• OAI, Inc. 
• Illinois Central Community College
• Chicago Federation of Labour for further resources on partners who may have available EEPs for hire

Minimum Equity Standard Educational Resources for Designees

• Both the Illinois Power Agency’s Minimum Equity Standard  page, the Illinois Shine’s Equity Accountability System Hub and the Energy Equity Illinois FAQ page contain valuable educational resources and compliance documents for designees. 
• MES Educational Resources.

Additional MES Resources

• Guide to the Equity Accountability System and Illinois Shines.
• Illinois Shines Program Guidebook, Section 7B, for an overview of Illinois Shine’s Minimum Equity Standard Program requirements. 

For any questions related to Minimum Equity Standard Compliance, please reach out to [e-mail].