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* AT&T has a big Telecom Act rewrite in the hopper, Exelon has its hands out to keep its nuke plants open, the alt energy folks have a bill and now ComEd is getting into the act…

ComEd’s bill, to be introduced by Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, and Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, is designed to foster growth in clean energy like solar power for households and micro-grids providing greater reliability and resiliency to sensitive facilities like the Federal Aviation Administration’s air-traffic control center in Aurora.

ComEd also proposes a $100 million program to build 5,000 Chicago-area charging stations to increase demand for electric vehicles.

The bill would boost ComEd’s bottom line in the future as decreased customer demand for power hits its revenues by permitting the utility to profit on its state-authorized energy efficiency program. Currently, ComEd only charges ratepayers to reimburse it for its costs in running the program. […]

In addition, the bill would overhaul how ComEd’s power-delivery rates are set. Currently, customers pay delivery rates mainly based on how much power they consume in a month. Beginning in 2018, they would pay based on how much electricity they consume during the highest-demand days of the year. Some customers would benefit and some would pay more under the new system, but ComEd hasn’t yet determined how it would affect individual types of households. But it would help ComEd by making its cash flow more predictable, executives said.

As Dave Kolata at Cub said, that’s a whole lot of asks.

* From the Environmental Law & Policy Center…

“Illinois consumers are poised to gain the job creation, environmental quality and economic benefits of competing new clean energy technologies and suppliers.

“Unfortunately, Exelon’s and ComEd’s legislative proposals would raise utility bills for most consumers, create barriers to competition, and constrain energy efficiency and diverse solar energy development for the future. ComEd’s legislative proposal forecloses flexibility that Illinois needs to transition to a cleaner energy future and locks out competitors.”

“The Illinois Clean Jobs Bill brings Illinois into a more positive energy future. Illinois policymakers should move forward promoting new innovative technologies, instead of Exelon’s and ComEd’s old monopoly approach that raises consumer’s electricity bills and imposes regulatory barriers that create more problems than positive solutions.”

* From ComEd’s lengthy press release…

The legislative package features a proposal to construct microgrids, which are small power grids that can connect to the main grid or operate independently, reinforcing reliability and resiliency during extreme weather or other events. HB3328/SB1879 would enable ComEd to invest $300 million in six microgrids that will service public facilities and infrastructure that are integral to healthcare, homeland security, transportation and water services. The microgrid program would also create at least 300 full-time equivalent jobs. […]

While current Illinois law allows homeowners to generate their own solar power and sell excess power back to the grid, apartment dwellers and others without suitable space or those who can’t afford the investment cannot enjoy the benefits of owning renewable generation. ComEd’s legislative proposal would expand access to solar power to all types of homeowners from all income levels by encouraging development of community solar projects. It would require utilities to offer Meter Aggregation, which makes use of digital smart meter technology to create a “pool” of community-based solar power that can be shared by multiple customers. To ensure the equitable sharing of grid costs, utilities would recover residential delivery costs through a combination of charges, including a demand charge, that better reflect how the grid is used and makes sure low-income customers aren’t subsidizing those who can more easily afford solar energy and other new grid uses.

Etc.

* The problem for all these bills is that the legislative system is very top-down. Leaders and staff can only do so much, and they aren’t willing to farm out important stuff like these to committee chairmen. And since the budget crisis will consume much of their time, they’re going to be spread pretty thin.

But, hey, who knows? Exelon doesn’t have anywhere near the political juice possessed by ComEd, so its alt energy ideas might start winning the day over the other one currently on the table.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:00 pm

Comments

How does building charging stations “create demand” for electric vehicles?

Nothing against electric vehicles, but I’m not following the logic. Isn’t it the other way around. — more electric vehicles create demand for charging stations?

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:09 pm
This ComEd bill is as cynical as anything they’ve done. Essentially, they solve their corporate problem of people becoming more energy efficient by killing the incentives for EVERYONE to conserve. And who ultimately benefits? The power generators whose demand would go up. Hmmm…wonder who that is. Oh right, the same group asking for a bailout for its nukes. It’s parent Exelon.

Doesn’t get more cynical than this folks.

Comment by Chutzpah! Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:18 pm
===Isn’t it the other way around===

There’s some reluctance to buy an all-electric vehicle without charging infrastructure. That’s one reason I went with a hybrid.

But Scheel’s in Springfield just built a big charging station. Cadillac offered to build me my own personal fast-charge station for free wherever I wanted when I leased an ELR (I haven’t yet chosen a location).

This is just another way for ComEd to make money. It might be a good thing, but it’s about the Benjamins.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:19 pm
Should I hold my breath, waiting for the Tribune Editorial Board to come out against this corporate welfare program being proposed?

Comment by How Ironic Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:21 pm
Rich, Exelon owns ComEd, don’t they?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:24 pm
=== Exelon owns ComEd, don’t they? ===

Yep, but they have separate lobbying staffs and often separate issues.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:35 pm
That Community Solar piece is the exact same thing that CUB and EDF proposed two weeks ago. How cynical.

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2015/03/05/groups-propose-community-solar-program-for-illinois/

Comment by sss Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:18 pm
Also, $100 million would be $20,000 per charging station.

That’s five times more than they typically cost (3-5,000 a piece for a level 2 charger).

Let them build at their own cost as an investment for all the future four-wheeled customers they will have.

That $20 million will pay for itself quickly once everyone starts charging their cars.

The whole idea of an electric car, if I recall, was from a Japanese nuclear engineer who was trying to find more customers for their power.

Comment by sss Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:23 pm
===That’s five times more than they typically cost===

Yeah, but maybe there would be multiple outlets at those stations.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:25 pm
Bruce save us working folks from high electric bills

Comment by foster brooks Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:28 pm
In the office building I’m in, they just added 4 charging poles to 4 closer to the entrance parking spots. It was interesting. Didn’t think much of it, but now there are nearly 20 electric car owners who have come to an agreement to rotate into those spots. If you have one at home, and you can access one at work, it seems you are more motivated to buy one of these cars. I’m also starting to see more of these stations (?) at some local malls.

Makes you wonder if we convert all the way what parking lots are going to become over the next several years. So far, it’s free to use these things at my building. Seems there would need to be a charge (no pun) at some point.

Comment by A guy Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:32 pm
Unfortjnately, no.

The cost isn’t the number of outlets. The $3-5,000 cost is for the pedestal or wall-mounted charger located at one parking spot.

By code, you can’t run charging cables all around a parking lit, so you need a pedestal at each spot, or one for two spots.

I have seen a 2-cord station on the market, but that is it. Price was $5,000 installed. And the bulk of that cost was just running the electrical wires out to the pedestal, which is nearly the same cost no matter if you can charge one car or four (these are really just fancy looking electrical outlets).

Comment by sss Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:34 pm
2014 Cadillac ELR
Luxury vehicle
MSRP: From $75,000

Damn, Rich, things must be good at the CapFax World Headquarters!

Comment by Nick Naylor Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:52 pm
Nick, no way could I have afforded buying it. They gave me a very nice lease deal, plus there are some serious tax benefits. As a result, the overall payments I’m making aren’t much more than for my previous car. Plus, no gas purchases for in-town driving.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:53 pm
But, yes, things are good here at the International HQ. Rauner been very, very good to me. lol

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:54 pm
I was kidding you. You earn every dollar and then some. I thought about getting a Tesla but the whole range issue scared me away.

Comment by Nick Naylor Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:55 pm
$1 million per full time job at these proposed microgrids? Sign me up!

Comment by RFG Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 4:01 pm
=== Rich Miller - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:54 pm:

But, yes, things are good here at the International HQ. Rauner been very, very good to me. lol===

And that extra prosperity Rauner has inspired has nevertheless had no effect on your ecological stewardship!

Please take this as a compliment. Whether invited to or not…I will not bite you.

Comment by A guy Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 5:02 pm
If you drive your electric car to Normal, you can get it charged.

http://www.evtown.org/about-ev-town/ev-charging/public-charging.html

Comment by Nearly Normal Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 5:12 pm
== The whole idea of an electric car, if I recall, was from a Japanese nuclear engineer who was trying to find more customers for their power. ==

The first electric cars were invented in the 1830’s; the first practical ones with rechargeable batteries were produced in the 1850’s, with improved batteries showing up in the 1880’s. Both steam powered and pure electric cars were more common than gasoline powered ones in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, but electrics had the same problem as today, the batteries were too heavy and the range was limited.

What changed the balance between electric and gas was the invention of the electric starter for gasoline motors in 1911. Interestingly enough, the first gas/electric hybrid was also introduced in Chicago in 1911 by the Woods Motor Vehicle Company but it failed because of its’ complexity.

Sorry for the digression but cars, especially old cars, are a hobby of sorts … as Norseman can attest.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 10:20 pm