Lightstar Renewables, a US-based community solar and agrivoltaic developer, has added standalone BESS to the Illinois portfolio it builds on leased private land. The company confirmed on 24 September 2026 that its active portfolio in the state now spans three service lines, with storage alongside community solar and agrivoltaic solar.

Storage changes which land qualifies. Community solar typically needs larger, open parcels, but a standalone battery system has a much smaller footprint and can be sited on smaller or less accessible ones. Each property is assessed individually through a free site assessment.

The terms are the same across all three lines. Landowners keep full ownership, sign leases of 20 or more years and receive fixed, weather-independent lease income, while Lightstar manages permitting, construction and operations under end-to-end EPC management. In many cases owners can keep existing land uses on the rest of the property.

State policy is what makes Illinois worth the push. The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) targets 100% clean energy by 2050, and Illinois enacted statewide energy storage legislation in 2026 that sets new storage targets. The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) also expands community solar and permits co-location of projects up to 10 MW on a single parcel or adjacent properties.

The company's Illinois base includes the 2.75 MW AC US Highway 136 Solar Project in Fulton County, which supplies power to the local distribution grid. Kyle McAdam, Senior Development Manager, said that clean energy development must work hand-in-hand with the local community, and Lightstar is making a donation towards renovating the athletic field of the nearby VIT Community Unit School District #2.

Lightstar Renewables is a community solar and agrivoltaic developer whose landowner-first model has built a national pipeline of more than 1,000 MW across 15 states.