Democratic leaders in Illinois are pushing to build more battery storage in the state, saying it could combat rising electricity prices and a potential power shortage by the end of the decade.
State Sen. Bill Cunningham and Reps. Marcus Evans and Barbara Hernandez rolled out legislation this week with the backing of clean energy groups such as Solar Energy Industries Association and American Clean Power Association.
The key provision would direct the Illinois Power Agency to procure 15 gigawatts of energy storage by 2035 — roughly the equivalent of powering 12 million homes. It would be nearly twice what was proposed in a similar bill last year and equal to what’s required in California, a state that uses twice as much electricity.
Proponents of S.B. 2497 and a companion House bill said the measure would build on Illinois’ landmark climate law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in 2021, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). That bill requires 100 percent carbon-free electricity in the state by 2045 and mandates the closure of coal- and gas-fired power plants.
