UPDATES

Letter to the Editor | Our environment is under assault

September 12, 2018

THE NEWS-GAZETTE Since the Future Energy Job Act (FEJA), Illinois’ bipartisan clean energy and job-building piece of legislation passed in 2016, Illinois’ reliance on coal has diminished. FEJA creates programs and incentives that put Illinois on a path toward further reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. By 2030, the state is expected to produce approximately…

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Illinois community solar garden sprouts sun-tracking “smartflower”

September 5, 2018

Kevin Stark | Energy News Network The project will be sited in a vegetable garden at an affordable housing facility on Chicago’s South Side. One of the first community solar systems in Illinois won’t be a run-of-the-mill array of PV panels. The Renaissance Collaborative (TRC), an affordable housing complex on Chicago’s South Side, is the…

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Salesforce invests in wind farm as it grows in Chicago area

August 30, 2018

Corilyn Shropshire | Chicago Tribune Tech firm Salesforce said it will back the construction of a new renewable energy wind farm in McLean County, a project that has been in the planning stages for 10 years. The Bright Stalk Wind Farm will be built near Bloomington-Normal, and owned and operated by EDP Renewables North America,…

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Statement from the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition Regarding the VW Settlement Plan

August 29, 2018

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) released its final plan today to invest the $108 million settlement the state received from Volkswagen. The plan was revised after advocates called for more public input in the process. The revised plan includes a significant increase in investments toward electric vehicle charging infrastructure, a reduction in administrative costs,…

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Solar companies flock to Illinois, bringing jobs, enthusiasm and some questions

August 28, 2018

Kari Lydersen | Energy News Network The family company Wellspring Components started four generations ago to fabricate metal for horse-drawn buggies for Amish families in Indiana. Today, its offshoot Wellspring Solar is among a growing number of national and Midwestern companies launching new solar operations in Illinois, thanks to incentives under the state’s Future Energy…

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Editorial | Champaign County moves into solar-power age

August 26, 2018

The Editorial Board Thanks to the 2016 adoption of the Illinois Future Jobs Act, counties all over Illinois are acting on solar-farm ordinances and proposed solar farms. Champaign County joined the parade last week with the adoption of a solar-farm ordinance. At the time the Legislature passed the Illinois Future Jobs Act in December 2016,…

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Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition Statement on Just-Released Midwest Clean Jobs Report

August 8, 2018

For Immediate Release       Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018   Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition Statement on Just-Released Midwest Clean Jobs Report Illinois is home to a third of the Midwest’s new renewable energy jobs, according to Midwest Clean Jobs, a clean energy jobs report released today from the Clean Energy Trust (CET) and the national,…

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Pockets of sunshine: Marshall County zoning panel OKs three more solar energy projects

July 22, 2018

Gary L. Smith | The Peoria Journal Star LACON – Marshall County’s list of potential future solar energy installations continued to grow last week with Zoning Board of Appeals approval of three projects of the type being developed at numerous sites around central Illinois and elsewhere in the state. The panel voted unanimously Thursday night…

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Guest Commentary | State’s solar potential just starting to show

July 22, 2018

Lesley McCain | The News-Gazette Solar energy is a bright spot in Illinois’ economy, rapidly creating jobs across the state. And we’re just getting started. Solar businesses, unlike those in many other industries, are rushing to Illinois to set up shop. These companies are attracted by falling equipment costs and a stable state policy that…

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No Longer a Novelty, Clean Energy Technologies Boom All Across the US

July 19, 2018

Julia Pyper | Green Tech Media A new report documents the democratization of renewables, energy storage and electric vehicles in America. Last year, the U.S. produced a record amount of solar power, generating 39 times more solar power than a decade ago. In 2008, solar produced 0.05 percent of electricity in the U.S. But by…

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