The 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) has been incredibly successful in supercharging Illinois’ clean energy economy, but the state must take further action to avoid energy demand outpacing supply as soon as 2030. Such a scenario would mean skyrocketing energy bills and an elevated risk of blackouts.
Energy demands fueled by rising household energy usage, emerging industries like artificial intelligence, and the planned retirement of dirty power generators are putting a strain on the Illinois energy grid and spiking prices for consumers across the state.
At the same time, clean energy projects often face severe delays in getting connected to the power grid, even after completion. State legislators passed a small bill in January to start discussions on how to address these problems and protect Illinois residents from higher energy costs and greater risks of blackouts.
“The price of electricity is going up because of the higher demands, and we have to have a strategy in place to deal with that,” Sen. Bill Cunningham, chief sponsor of the new bill to address these issues through clean energy storage, told Capitol News Illinois.
This month, Cunningham and Rep. Marcus Evans introduced HB 3758 / SB 2497 to the Illinois General Assembly to do just that without abandoning Illinois’ climate goals and clean energy growth.
This new clean energy legislation will establish a target to build 15 GW of battery storage while helping new and existing projects get connected to the grid. This proactive investment in Illinois energy will build on the success of CEJA to ensure residents can stay connected, even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
Learn More
For more information on how the bill passed in January sets up Illinois for a big year in climate legislation, read the full article in Capitol News Illinois.
For more information about how Illinois lawmakers and leaders in the energy industry are advancing clean energy, read the full article in the Chicago Sun-Times.
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