SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) — Now that Illinois is on a fast track to convert to renewable energy, a critical part of the transition may have been overlooked.
Coal-fired power plants are going offline or are set to be decommissioned in the future and with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plans for more electric vehicles on Illinois roads, there are concerns about a lack of available energy.
State Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, who has introduced Senate Bill 1587, said not enough attention is being paid to energy storage.
“The essence of the bill is that it would require the Illinois Power Agency to facilitate the procurement of energy storage credits in order to promote storage,” said Cunningham.
The U.S. electrical grid was designed to deliver electricity to consumers immediately, with very little energy stored.
Storage technology includes batteries and other grid-connected systems that can store energy and then dispatch it for 10 hours or longer when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining.
Co-sponsor of the bill, State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, said he is not in favor of property tax breaks for these companies, especially after some Illinois power plants shut down.
“In downstate communities, these are the largest taxing industries in that county usually, and so the schools and government agencies that depend on that really need to have this as a replacement,” said Koehler.
SB1587 remains in committee.
State Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said she wants to avoid a similar situation in which Illinoisans’ power bills doubled this past year.
“So people who had a $400 electric bill previously are paying $800, and that’s individual and that doesn’t count the businesses, so moving forward, that has to be part of this conversation,” said Bryant.
In a recent technology assessment, the Government Accountability Office said there are many challenges to adopting the technology, including planning and valuation. The GAO said one approach that state policymakers could take is to create incentives for storage deployment, such as loan guarantees, and consider policies to encourage the capture of multiple revenue streams.
By KEVIN BESSLER for the Illinois Radio Network
