Three years after the historic Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) was signed into law, Illinois state lawmakers and solar industry leaders are recognizing the legislation’s achievements and building on its foundation to achieve its goals .
CEJA, signed by Governor JB Pritzker on September 15, 2021, launched Illinois on a path to 100% renewable energy by 2050 and led to exponential growth in the solar industry through forward-looking programs that equitably expand access to clean energy in Illinois , building family-supporting careers and investing in the economy.
“CEJA has made an important commitment to democratize energy production and equitably spread the benefits of clean energy,” said Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), lead sponsor of CEJA. “We have made tremendous progress, but any major bill like CEJA will obviously need some refinement to ensure it delivers on its promises. We are now at that moment to make small but important changes that will ensure CEJA’s goals are achieved.”
With clean energy generators being built at a record pace, clean energy storage has emerged as a clear need in Illinois as energy needs continue to increase due to growing housing demand, the planned retirement of fossil fuel plants, and investment in Illinois by energy-hungry industries. such as data centers, AI and quantum computing. To stay on track with CEJA’s goals and maintain its status as a national energy leader, Illinois must quickly build at least 8.5 GW of clean energy storage to address an energy capacity shortage starting in the 2030s preventable, according to a recent study by Mark Pruitt. former director of the Illinois Power Agency.
“Illinois cannot afford to go backwards; That’s why I’m proud to stand with Senator Cunningham submit a bill that will create a goal for the state to build at least 8.5 GW of clean energy storage,” said Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora). “Through this investment, we will not only achieve CEJA’s goals, but we will also save consumers money, avoid the risk of power outages, create billions of dollars in economic activity and tens of thousands of family-supporting jobs, and equip our energy grid to power the world’s economy. the future.”
According to Pruitt’s projections, the bill from Senator Cunningham and Rep. Hernandez will avoid the looming shortage and save consumers $3 billion in energy costs – an average of about $30 per month – avoid $7.3 billion in electricity-related costs, create up to 115,000 jobs and $16 billion in economic activity, and prevent 50 million tons of CO2 emissions.
“The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act has made Illinois one of the Midwest’s leaders in clean energy policy, but the work is not done yet,” said Andrew Linhares, Senior Central Region Manager at SEIA. “Sen. Cunningham and Hernandez’s proposal to strengthen the state’s investments in energy storage will save taxpayers money, strengthen equitable access to clean energy, increase the reliability of the electric grid, create careers for families and help Illinois reach its renewable energy goals . The solar and storage industry looks forward to continuing to work with lawmakers to accelerate the state’s transition to a clean energy economy.”
News release from Solar Powers Illinois
