Illinois Passes Clean Energy Bill Expected to Save Residents $13 Billion

Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

We’ve written a few times about a piece of legislation in Illinois that was expected to give a boost to clean, renewable energy sources while also helping to save Illinois residents money on their electricity bills. That would be the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, and it was passed by the legislators earlier today.

The bill is expected to lead to the buildout of 3 gigawatts of battery storage as well as the creation of a Virtual Pilot Program in the Land of Lincoln.

The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act is expected to save Illinois families and businesses $13 billion on their electricity bills over the next 20 years. Governor Pritzker just has to sign the bill now, and there’s no reason to expect the Democratic governor won’t.

“Illinois leaders are showing what it means to take charge of our energy future. The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act is a blueprint for how to meet growing electricity demand while keeping costs down and building a stronger, more resilient grid,” Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said in response to the news.

“By investing in solar, storage, and a forward-looking Virtual Power Plant program, this bill will create good jobs and empower Illinois families and businesses. The solar and storage industry urges Governor Pritzker to sign it into law so other states look to Illinois as proof that smart policy can deliver affordability, reliability, and clean energy growth all at once.”

We’re sure our friends over at the Illinois Solar Energy & Storage Association and the Illinois Solar Education Association are happy about the news, and surely did their part to help get this legislation developed and passed. We certainly need this kind of state solar leadership at a time when the US federal government is more anti-clean energy than ever before in the country’s history. As the 6th most populous (nearly 5th) in the nation, it’s also significant for the country if this does lead to gigawatts more solar energy deployment and battery deployment.