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* The Tribune has a very good story about several energy-related issues. Let’s focus on just one, but you should read the whole thing…
[Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council] said the first of these [priorities in the coming energy omnibus bill] is battery storage, which is intended to help wind and solar connect to the PJM and MISO grids by capturing and then releasing their power in steady increments.
Illinois has been practicing for this moment. Since the CEJA bill passed in 2021, the state has spent $280 million to install battery storage facilities at former coal plants, said Gough, the Pritzker spokesman.
The legislative debate about a statewide rollout of this effort could start with an ICC recommendation, issued May 1, that Illinois deploy 1.04 gigawatts of battery storage starting in August. The state would deploy another 2 gigawatts of storage by 2027 and plan for even more after that. […]
For now, the ICC is looking only at batteries that can pump electricity back into the grid for four hours at a time. “That’s not enough to carry you through a weeklong blizzard,” Pruitt said. “But you can manage the regular daily fluctuations.”
In its report, the ICC estimated that the 3 gigawatts of battery storage it’s proposing by 2027 would cost average residential ratepayers $1.69 a month at Ameren and $1.17 a month at ComEd.
But it would save them money later, the ICC said, by reducing the state’s dependence on PJM and MISO capacity auctions, thereby driving down prices.
I have just one tiny nitpick: Local 150’s Marc Poulos is not “a top Democratic fundraiser in Springfield.” This is the second time the Tribune has called him that. Poulos doesn’t raise money. He helps direct the spending of money. He’s a fundSPENDER.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 12, 25 @ 8:50 am
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I like that you are coining new terms. So besides 150, I guess other union leaders (especially the DC trades) would be fundspenders. And certainly the Governor on the political side would be a fundspender for his candidates.
Comment by Dan Johnson Monday, May 12, 25 @ 9:45 am
This describes the folly of renewable energy generation that is not consistent. Wind will vary in intensity and the sun will not provided consistent energy production. A modern electrical grid demands consistent baseload generation. The only sensible option is nuclear. It is a proven tech, the pollution is containable and it runs 24/7. Wind and Solar are fine for boutique applications but will not suffice for grid operation. Batteries in order to be useful need to cover expected max usage not some made up 4 hour limit. If you limit your expectation to that 4 hours who will you be suggesting to do away with power? I would rather we have leaders who choose to follow actual science and support a reliable baseload generation system than those who don’t care about the average person. Also, don’t forget what just happened in Spain and Portugal recently. While there are still questions about the details part of the problem was trying to balance the generation mix. You can’t just thrown all the electricity together as if it were water. No current baseload generation should be shut down until and unless reliable 24/7 substitute is proven and in operation.
Comment by Center Drift Monday, May 12, 25 @ 9:49 am
Good article. I was reading it last night.
One thing slightly related, finding the service boundaries between MISO and PJM on its southwestern edge is difficult to say the least. It was especially annoying in LaSalle County where it zigzags all over the place. To the north a 2 miles strip of the county is in PJM, the middle of the county is MISO, and then the southern third is PJM again. Even boundaries at the township level aren’t granular enough to track the service areas.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, May 12, 25 @ 9:56 am
“On April 28, the IMA organized a tour of Constellation Energy’s nuclear power station in Clinton for legislators and Pritzker administration officials”
Smart – the plant was originally sized for more reactors. Clinton already has an Early Site Permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that allows up to ~2,300 megawatts of additional capacity. That shaves like 2 years off the permitting timeline.
To get costs down (on a per unit basis), you want to build more than one reactor at a time. At Vogtle, unit 4 was built ~30% faster than unit 3. The Early Site Permit allows two new Westinghouse AP1000s here…
Comment by Michael McLean Monday, May 12, 25 @ 10:12 am
=The only sensible option is nuclear. It is a proven tech, the pollution is containable and it runs 24/7.=
Yes
Comment by JS Mill Monday, May 12, 25 @ 10:36 am
== one tiny nitpick ==
Agreed. This joins the Tribune’s repeated use of the phrase “the money bomb” (referring to breaking contribution caps) as another head scratcher. Might need to get the editors a Springfield glossary.
Otherwise, a really well done story. It foretells the coming storm over Illinois’ membership in the Regional Transmission Organizations. Leaving an RTO is hugely complicated, but Illinois produces far more electricity than it consumes (thanks to the nukes) so it would be foolish not to at least consider some changes, particularly given the price spikes.
Comment by Tammy Monday, May 12, 25 @ 10:42 am
It’s not surprising, but unfair that La Salle County being a huge net energy exporter (of mostly clean energy at that), is saddled with high rates instead of the discount one might expect.
Center Drift, the argument is that battery storage rather than fossil-fueled base load and peak generation, is the long term solution to renewables’ reliability. There are concerns on how fast we can get there, or if we can practically get there at all. As far as new nuclear capacity, we haven’t shown the ability to get plants online in less than a few decades’ time, and that will need to radically change as part of any near term solution.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, May 12, 25 @ 10:45 am
===that La Salle County being a huge net energy exporter ===
While I agree that they’re getting hosed, the county did what, exactly, to earn your title as an energy exporter?
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 12, 25 @ 11:34 am
The nuclear plant fleet in Illinois is aging-out all around the same time, several of them have had their planned retirement extended. They need to be replaced by modern, safe designs. The battery banks, as has been mentioned, reduce the need for fossil fueled peaker plants to cover temporary spikes in demand, as well as evening-out the supply from renewable systems. It’s never an “either-or” with energy production, but a “yes, and.” Situation.
One of the things industry looks for when deciding where to locate a factory is how stable and reliable the energy supply is. Illinois has had a big advantage on this, and we need to keep it going. That means revitalizing nuclear as well as renewables and conservation, in a triad strategy.
Comment by Give Us Barabbas Monday, May 12, 25 @ 11:49 am
The proverbial bomb about to go off this summer on electric bills will be substantial. Just the $289 auction price from last year is going to cause legislators’ phones to ring. While all these solutions continue to look at long-term what-ifs, none of the energy proposals being floated address today or even the next 3-4 years. Right about the time the Governor is in the midst of a Presidential run.
Comment by Frida's Boss Monday, May 12, 25 @ 11:53 am
===While I agree that they’re getting hosed, the county did what, exactly, to earn your title as an energy exporter?===
Others know the background better than I, but I’d say that the county was relatively friendly when the La Salle station was being planned, as well as in permitting the wind farms. That being said, I grant that the utilities themselves were the ones who put up the funding and did the heavy lifting in creating the physical plant. The article explains why much of the county is powered by far-away sources rather than what’s in the back yard, due to the way the grid is set up. Not everyone in the county is being “hosed”….the city of Peru smartly built a hydroelectric facility at Starved Rock years ago and is reaping the benefits of lower generation costs and bills for its users than its neighbors.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, May 12, 25 @ 12:03 pm
Center Drift, your assertions are wrong and your info is dated. Texas and California have been able to keep the lights on in the last 12 months BECAUSE of renewables and batteries, not despite them. Battery storage is a far more efficient way to balance the grid and provide the resources that used to be provided by expensive and highly polluting peaker plants.
This is an article from the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank - not exactly a woke bastion. I would encourage you to read it.
https://www.dallasfed.org/research/economics/2025/0114
Comment by New Day Monday, May 12, 25 @ 12:43 pm
Nuclear power is the best example of human hubris.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinero/2019/11/26/the-staggering-timescales-of-nuclear-waste-disposal/
Comment by Dotnonymous x Monday, May 12, 25 @ 1:22 pm
Short-termism is Man’s fatal flaw?
Comment by Dotnonymous x Monday, May 12, 25 @ 1:30 pm
A bit nitpicky calling him a fundspender, but I’ll go along. Anyone who has that size Pac behind him is a force. Call it what you want. They aren’t always successful, but they certainly make you get up and take notice.
Comment by Jeb Monday, May 12, 25 @ 1:39 pm
Solar power is out of the question…invariably.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Monday, May 12, 25 @ 2:21 pm
===The nuclear plant fleet in Illinois is aging-out all around the same time, several of them have had their planned retirement extended.===
Like fine wine, the nuclear plants get better with age. The capacity factors have increased substantially over the lifetime of the plants. And Byron and Braidwood are in the process of having their generation capacity increased by 135 megawatts right now.
We still have not discovered the end of life for light water reactors. All of the major parts can be refurbished. The oldest plant, Beznau (Switzerland), just received a license to continue operating beyond 60 years of age.
Comment by Michael McLean Monday, May 12, 25 @ 2:23 pm
A number of years back Wisconsin passed a law that said if a railroad abandoned a track, that land automatically became a right-of-way for power companies. Illinois should do the same, it could speed up construction of new power lines as needed.
Comment by Dupage Monday, May 12, 25 @ 3:26 pm