(35 ILCS 200/Art. 10 Div. 1 heading)
Division 1.
Solar energy systems
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(35 ILCS 200/10-5)
Sec. 10-5. Solar energy systems; definitions. It is the policy of this
State that the use of solar energy systems should be encouraged because they
conserve nonrenewable resources, reduce pollution and promote the health and
well-being of the people of this State, and should be valued in relation to
these benefits.
(a) "Solar energy" means radiant energy received from
the sun at wave lengths suitable for heat transfer, photosynthetic use,
or photovoltaic use.
(b) "Solar collector" means
(1) An assembly, structure, or design, including
| | passive elements, used for gathering, concentrating, or absorbing direct and indirect solar energy, specially designed for holding a substantial amount of useful thermal energy and to transfer that energy to a gas, solid, or liquid or to use that energy directly; or
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(2) A mechanism that absorbs solar energy and
| | converts it into electricity; or
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(3) A mechanism or process used for gathering solar
| | energy through wind or thermal gradients; or
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(4) A component used to transfer thermal energy to a
| | gas, solid, or liquid, or to convert it into electricity.
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(c) "Solar storage mechanism" means equipment or elements (such as
piping and transfer mechanisms, containers, heat exchangers, or controls
thereof, and gases, solids, liquids, or combinations thereof) that are
utilized for storing solar energy, gathered by a solar collector, for
subsequent use.
(d) "Solar energy system" means
(1)(A) A complete assembly, structure, or design of
| | solar collector, or a solar storage mechanism, which uses solar energy for generating electricity or for heating or cooling gases, solids, liquids, or other materials;
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(B) The design, materials, or elements of a system
| | and its maintenance, operation, and labor components, and the necessary components, if any, of supplemental conventional energy systems designed or constructed to interface with a solar energy system; and
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(C) Any legal, financial, or institutional orders,
| | certificates, or mechanisms, including easements, leases, and agreements, required to ensure continued access to solar energy, its source, or its use in a solar energy system, and including monitoring and educational elements of a demonstration project.
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(2) "Solar energy system" does not include
(A) Distribution equipment that is equally usable
| | in a conventional energy system except for those components of the equipment that are necessary for meeting the requirements of efficient solar energy utilization; and
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(B) Components of a solar energy system that
| | serve structural, insulating, protective, shading, aesthetic, or other non-solar energy utilization purposes, as defined in the regulations of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
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(3) The solar energy system shall conform to the
| | standards for those systems established by regulation of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
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(Source: P.A. 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)
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(35 ILCS 200/10-10)
Sec. 10-10.
Valuation of solar energy systems.
When a solar energy system
has been installed in improvements on any property, the owner of that property
is entitled to claim, by filing with the chief county assessment officer, an
alternate valuation of those improvements. When a claim for alternate
valuation is filed, the chief county assessment officer shall ascertain the
value of the improvements as if equipped with a conventional heating or cooling
system and the value of the improvements as equipped with the solar energy
system. So long as the solar energy system is used in total or part as the
means of utilizing solar energy improvements, the alternate valuation computed
as the lesser of the two values ascertained under this paragraph shall be
applied. When the solar energy system so valued ceases to be used as the means
of heating or cooling those improvements, the owner of that property shall
within 30 days notify the chief county assessment officer in writing
by certified mail.
(Source: P.A. 80-430; 88-455.)
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