Soaring utility bills, solar federal tax credit cuts dominate Illinois
energy debate
[August 19, 2025]
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
(The Center Square) – Energy prices and clean energy policy took center
stage during a senate energy and public utilities committee hearing as
lawmakers sparred over rising summer energy bills and the future of
Illinois’ energy mix.
State Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, and Freedom Caucus Chairman
Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland, published a video Friday blasting
Democrats for calling the hearing without consulting GOP House members.
“We’ve pushed for this since the first of May,” Halbrook said, noting
that House Republicans requested joint hearings with energy experts on
the issue of rising rates but were ignored. “Homeowners, renters, and
businesses all across the state are facing double and triple-digit
increases in their electric rates. This is the greatest issue of our
time”
Halbrook warned the debate is only beginning. “We think this [Monday’s
hearing] should be a joint House and Senate hearing with all the experts
at the table,” Halbrook said. “The people of Illinois deserve real
answers, not green energy talking points.”
At Monday’s hearing, business owners in the solar industry described how
federal tax credit changes have rattled the market. Lisa Albrecht said
that her company, All Bright Solar, has seen consumer confidence
collapse amid uncertainty.
“In 17 years, I’ve never had a cancellation, until this morning, from
someone who had just agreed on Friday to go solar,” said Albrecht “That
shows how much uncertainty there is in the market right now, which makes
it difficult for us to plan ahead. Do we invest in new equipment,
trucks, and staff, or do we hold back? I’m grateful to be in Illinois,
where there is legislative support for a clean energy economy, but this
is still a very challenging market to operate in.”
Andrew Linhares, the Solar Energy Industries Association’s senior
manager for the Central Region, said the loss of federal tax credits for
residential and commercial solar projects will stall development and
raise costs for Illinois consumers already facing higher utility bills.
“In July, HR1, what some called the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’, was signed
into law, and it eliminates two key tax credits, 25D and 48E. Those
credits help offset the cost of installing solar and other clean energy
technologies,” said Linhares. “The law also creates new restrictions on
products from foreign entities of concern, most notably China, and
that’s where a lot of our concern lies.”
In a Friday video, Miller blamed the Biden administration and Gov. J.B.
Pritzker’s “climate agenda” for driving up costs.
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Illinois state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria
Greg Bishop / The Center Square
“This whole mess has been brought to you by the Biden, Harris, J.B.
Pritzker regime that has set out to destroy Illinois and America
with this green energy scam,” Miller gestured to the Cooks Mill
Solar Project in Coles County, Illinois. “If you look around at
these solar panels, they're covering Class A farm ground,
food-producing farm ground, some of the greatest, some of the best
farm ground that's ever been created by our good Lord.”
State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, defended Illinois’ clean energy
policies, citing his own household as an example of the potential
benefits. Koehler told the Senate Energy and Public Utilities
Committee that his family’s utility bill in July was just $58 after
installing solar panels and a high-efficiency heat pump.
“We had banked a number of solar credits because we didn’t use air
conditioning or heat in May. Even with the added costs of building a
carport and replacing the roof on the back of our house, this
investment will pay off within 10 years,” said Koehler. “ We are
short-sighted if we don’t do everything possible to help individuals
lower their energy costs. I’m convinced this was absolutely the
right thing to do, and it’s already paying off.”
But Republicans expressed skepticism that solar alone can address
Illinois’ current energy challenges. State Sen. Terri Bryant,
R-Murphysboro, the committee’s minority spokesperson, noted that
solar contributes only a fraction of the state’s energy supply.
“Solar’s, on the best day, only about 14% of our energy portfolio,”
Bryant said. “I understand that the industry is suffering right now
because subsidies have been pulled back. But right now, at this
minute, I’m not sure that solar impacts what today’s problem is.”
Bryant urged lawmakers to focus on solutions that provide immediate
relief to consumers grappling with rising bills this summer.
Industry representatives argued solar remains the cheapest and
fastest way to add power to the grid.
“These are the least-cost and best-suited technologies for the
moment, with or without federal tax credits,” said Linhares.
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