Orphaned solar systems
Freedom Forever customers in Illinois: what happened, and who services your system now
Parent company Freedom Forever LLC filed Chapter 11 on 15 April 2026 and converted to Chapter 7 liquidation effective 7 August 2026; Freedom Forever Illinois, LLC is on the Illinois Shines stranded-customer list.
What happened
Freedom Forever LLC filed a Chapter 11 petition in the District of Delaware on 15 April 2026, lead case 26-10522. The case converted to Chapter 7 liquidation effective 7 August 2026, with Alfred T. Giuliano appointed trustee. The Chapter 7 meeting of creditors was set for 22 September 2026 and the claims bar date for 16 October 2026. Illinois Shines lists Freedom Forever Illinois, LLC among the companies that have ceased or limited operations and cannot finish projects or act as Approved Vendor.
Sources:Kroll Restructuring Administration, Freedom Forever case site (Checked 18 September 2026); pv magazine USA, Freedom Forever bankruptcy converted to Chapter 7 liquidation (9 September 2026); Illinois Shines, Stranded Customer Resources (Updated August 2026).
What it means for your warranty
Your workmanship warranty is probably gone. When a company liquidates, its warranties are unsecured liabilities and generally do not survive the bankruptcy.
Your equipment warranty probably survived. Your panels and inverter are covered by the manufacturer, a separate company that still exists. Most major manufacturers are still honouring them. What you lost is the person who diagnoses the fault and files the claim.
Who took over, if anyone
No single successor took over Freedom Forever's customers. Freedom Forever's financing partners were authorised to hire contractors to finish incomplete installs, so if your system was financed, the lender or lease company is the first call. Creditors, including customers with deposits or unfinished work, file claims through the Kroll case site before the 16 October 2026 bar date.
What you can still do
The state's Solar Restitution Program. The Illinois Power Agency's Solar Restitution Program pays up to $30,000 on a project of 25 kW or less and up to $50,000 on a larger one, to customers harmed by an Illinois Shines Approved Vendor or Designee. By June 2026 it had paid about $473,000 to 170 customers. The program decides eligibility, not us, and most affected homeowners have never heard of it.
Manufacturer warranty claims. Your modules and inverter carry their own warranties from the manufacturer, and those companies are still trading. Find the model and serial numbers on the inverter label and in your closing paperwork. A claim needs a diagnosis first, and the manufacturer will usually supply the replacement part and leave the labour to you.
Monitoring access. If your installer set up the monitoring account, get it into your own name now, while the manufacturer's support desk can still verify you as the owner. Enphase, SolarEdge, Fronius and SMA each have a process for handing a system to the homeowner. Without it, nobody can see what the system is doing.
If you paid a deposit or have an unfinished install, file a proof of claim through the Kroll case site before 16 October 2026. The trustee, not Freedom Forever, now controls what is left.
Nothing on this page is legal advice. A bankruptcy has deadlines, and a lawyer or the case trustee's site is the place to confirm them.
How Braven can help.
We service solar we didn't install. $400 covers the visit and the first two hours of diagnostics, then $135 an hour. We are on site within five business days, we are certified across Enphase, Fronius, SMA and SolarEdge, and we file manufacturer warranty claims on your behalf.
Request a service call
If your installer has gone out of business, say so. There are program steps that may still be open to you, and we'll point you at them.
Last reviewed September 2026. Status information is taken from the public record cited above and re-checked quarterly. If you represent this company and the record has changed, write to us and we will update the page.