Illinois advocacy groups are pressing state legislators to pass a package of comprehensive energy reforms that would help the state reach its clean energy goals and could reduce costs for consumers following price spikes this summer. 

The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC), along with clean energy companies, legislative experts and consumers, are lobbying for the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act, which the General Assembly is considering during the ongoing October veto session. The legislation would add battery storage to community solar projects and fund cost-effective improvements to energy grid infrastructure that ICJC and other groups say would help the state meet its goal of transitioning to renewable energy by 2050.

This summer, customers of Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd)—the largest electric utility in Illinois—faced a 45 percent rate increase following energy auctions held by the regional electric grid operators that serve Illinois, PJM Interconnection and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) that reflected increases in grid capacity. Customers of Ameren, the state’s second-largest electric utility, saw spikes of 50 percent. 

“This legislation helps consumers by improving their own access to energy efficiency measures for their own homes, improving their own access to support if they want to install battery storage or if they want to take part in a virtual power plant,” said Sarah Moskowitz, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), an Illinois nonprofit utility watchdog group that is a member of ICJC. “But even for people who don’t take advantage directly of these programs, there’s great potential for price suppression across the board, even for non-participants.”

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Moskowitz was referring to the provisions in CRGA that specifically address energy efficiency, part of a comprehensive plan to lower increased demand on the electric grid. The law also outlines the goal of adding 6 gigawatts of battery storage to the grid to power homes and lower energy prices.

Other components of the plan include providing ratepayers access to rebates to weatherize their homes, purchase efficient appliances and increase funds for low-income energy efficiency programs; launching a virtual power plant (VPP) initiative to pool thousands of small solar and storage projects; and strengthening the power grid through improvements in infrastructure and grid-enhancing technologies, increasing the amount of clean energy that power lines can carry. 

The CRGA Act was introduced during the spring legislative session by State Rep. Ann Williams, a Democrat representing Chicago’s North Side, but the bill never made it to a vote following disagreements over battery financing, data center regulations and lifting a moratorium on nuclear plant construction as well as lobbying from oil and gas industry groups. ICJC and others are advocating for it to be passed during the annual October veto session, during which the Illinois General Assembly can overturn gubernatorial vetoes and advance legislation that did not make it through before the end of the spring legislative session.

The act is a continuation of many of the clean energy provisions in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) that the General Assembly passed in 2021, which aim to reduce carbon emissions in the energy and transportation sectors. It creates a long-term energy planning requirement for Illinois utilities; speeds up interconnection; builds more transmission, both within and outside of Illinois; and develops more renewable energy and makes adjustments to current clean energy programs, all of which help streamline the process of renewable energy meetthe state’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050. It also creates $34 billion in net savings on Illinois energy bills over 20 years, according to an analysis by The Power Bureau.

“CRGA fast tracks renewable energy development in Illinois, and also storage, which is a critical part of advancing renewable energy,” said Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. The group is advocating for the passage of CRGA by engaging with lawmakers and spreading awareness among Illinois residents about how they can benefit from renewable energy. 

Those provisions are especially important as many consumers saw their energy bills spike this summer due to increased demand on the grid from data centers that use power the grid is not prepared to handle, Moskowitz said. Due to the increased load, electricity demand is rising for the first time in decades, she said. That is “why we’re seeing these high prices right now, because our markets aren’t really equipped to meet such giant jumps in demand for electricity,” she said. 

However, she added that CRGA was developed in anticipation of increased demand to help the state and consumers cope with strain on the power grid; the provisions aim to specifically address the higher demand and prices. 

For example, the battery storage component would help reduce consumer costs when added to community solar projects within the ComEd and Ameren grids. 

“Under CRGA, we can put batteries on our solar community solar projects, and they can tell us when they need a discharge to the grid, but it is all renewable energy,” said Jon Carson, founder of Trajectory Energy Partners, a member of ICJC that is also advocating for passing the act.

Under CRGA, Carson explained, energy consumers would pay a tariff for battery storage on community solar projects across the grid.Although battery storage devices can already be attached to solar projects, Carson explained that the tariff would incentivize putting them on because in exchange, ComEd and Ameren would be able to dictate when the energy is put onto the grid, input they don’t currently have. The tariff would be paid to system owners such as Trajectory Energy Partners.

However, the savings from the reduced energy costs would outweigh the tariff costs, leading to net savings for consumers. “This will reduce our capacity charges that are driving all our bills to be super expensive,” he said.

This is feasible because the battery storage, attached to community solar projects, would store energy throughout the day. They would then discharge that energy during peak use periods, reducing strain on the grid and lowering energy costs for consumers. 

Lowering costs is particularly important for environmental justice communities in Illinois, such as Waukegan, which has five designated Superfund sites and a predominantly Black and Hispanic population. 

Mayra Mendez, a Waukegan resident and executive director of the organizationClean Power Lake County (CPLC), said that the price spikes over the summer were “striking” for many Waukegan residents, as their energy usage remained consistent and they got no explanation for the increase. This is part of the reason why CPLC is working with ICJC to advocate for the passage of CRGA.

“Some of the things [within CRGA] that strike me as really important for my community is they’re making sure that there are lower bills for families that are struggling, so that is a priority,” she said. 

Mendez said that she and other Waukegan residents have already seen the benefits of clean energy in the community from a solar farm that was built on top of the Yeoman Creek landfill. Waukegan residents exclusively benefit from the farm’s energy by applying to receive their energy from the solar farm. 

Under CRGA, battery storage would be added to solar farms like the Yeoman site in addition to other provisions focused on lowering energy costs for low-income residents within EJ communities like Waukegan. 

“It’s so important that communities like ours continue to push for clean energy and really hold people accountable, making sure that we have clean energy, because we’ve been affected for such a long time on the backs of these coal industries,” she said. 

On a larger scale, Carson and other advocates agreed that adopting CRGA would solidify Illinois as a leader in clean energy across the Midwest and nationwide, especially as the Trump administration continues to roll back clean energy programs and legislation. 

“I think a really important thing in Illinois’ leadership role in this is setting [the state] up as the dominant Midwestern state for clean energy,” he said. He added that clean energy projects are large drivers of revenue and income diversification for farmers and rural communities, in addition to the benefits these programs bring to urban communities. 

“I think as we establish that dominant leadership role, the rest of the Midwestern states are eventually going to have to follow,” he said. “This is the future.” 

Sarah Mattalian

Fellow

Sarah Mattalian is a graduate student at Northwestern University Medill, pursuing a master’s degree in journalism with a specialization in health, environment and science reporting. Currently based in Chicago, she previously covered environmental and labor policy in Washington, DC after receiving her undergraduate degree in journalism from American University. Sarah’s reporting focuses on how national policy intersects with public health, climate change and science on a local level, as well as how climate change impacts individuals and communities.