ILLINOIS (WCIA) — 2024 was a banner year for solar energy, both across the country and in Illinois. Experts hope that momentum continues beyond National Solar Appreciation Day, on Friday, to have an impact far into the future. 

The Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) said that Illinois is ranked fourth for its solar energy capacity in the country. In 2024, about 2.5 gigawatts of capacity were installed in the state, which is about half of all the previously installed solar energy equipment.

SEIA credits legislative developments, including the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act and 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, for Illinois’ progress in clean energy.

“Illinois [has] had a track record now, over a decade, of focused commitment to growing its clean energy sector,” said SEIA Central Region Senior Manager Andrew Linhares. “I would say that’s a really important thing, is not just to pass the right policies and have a couple year run of investment, but to have an expectation that those policies will be around for an extended period of time.”

More than 111,000 solar installations across the state created the power equivalent to almost 857,000 homes, according to SEIA. The Illinois solar industry supports about 6,000 jobs and is worth $8.8 billion as of last year. 

Linhares said going forward, it’ll be important to prioritize energy storage to meet the growing demand and energy infrastructure.