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Last Update: 10/26/2026 at 11:33 PM EST
Illinois Clean Energy Transition
Coverage from Energies Media, The Clinton Journal, and others
Illinois’s clean-energy transition links state policy with the practical work of modernizing the power grid and expanding renewable resources.
Key elements include utility-scale battery storage, solar and wind projects, virtual power plants, demand response, and programs shaped by the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act. Implementation spans the MISO and PJM markets, where procurement rules and interconnection constraints affect outcomes. State agencies, utilities such as ComEd and Ameren, developers, and Governor JB Pritzker’s administration all play roles in translating Illinois’s clean-energy goals into infrastructure and market changes.
Looking Back
280 Day Timeline
Jan 17
Feb 28
Apr 18
May 30
Jul 11
Aug 29
Oct 10
All Articles30 articles
Important
In 2024 and 2025, ComEd approved 52 megawatts of community solar in western Illinois through flexible interconnection agreements that manage peak-period curtailment.
9/2/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
The Illinois Power Agency selected 600 megawatts of battery storage in its first post-CRGA procurement, advancing Illinois grid storage deployment across MISO and PJM territories.
9/23/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Illinois regulators approved 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage in 2026 for projects across MISO and PJM territories, supporting the state's 2030 energy-storage target.
9/18/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Illinois regulators approved 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage in 2026 for projects across MISO and PJM territories, supporting renewable power integration.
9/14/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Illinois regulators secured 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage in the first statewide procurement, with projects expected online by 2030.
9/14/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Illinois secured 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage in its first state procurement auction, with projects planned for operation by 2030.
9/14/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Illinois regulators awarded 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage in the state's first procurement under the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act in 2026.
9/14/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
The Illinois Power Agency awarded 600 megawatts of battery storage in Illinois in its first procurement, with most capacity secured in the MISO territory.
9/14/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Illinois secured 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage in its first mandated auction, with projects across central, southern, and northern Illinois, but missed the 1,038-megawatt target.
9/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In Illinois in the 2020s, lawmakers advanced the POWER Act to regulate hyperscale data centers energy, water, and community impacts while safeguarding state climate and affordability goals.
2/19/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
Illinois farmland managers reported in an August 27, 2026 webinar that renewable-energy agreements, battery-storage inquiries, and data-center demand were reshaping lease markets and land values.
9/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
On September 1, 2026, the Illinois Commerce Commission approved 600 MW of battery storage awards from the Illinois Power Agency's procurement, covering projects in Illinois and falling 438 MW short of its target.
10/14/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
ComEd filed its 2028-2031 multi-year grid plan with the Illinois Commerce Commission to invest in DERMS, fiber communications, and infrastructure enabling heat pumps and renewables across northern Illinois.
1/17/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
More than a year after Illinois enacted the Climate Displacement Act, state officials had appointed only one task-force member and delayed required reports on migration preparedness.
9/28/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency released a climate plan in Illinois outlining policies to reduce emissions up to 72% and pursue net-zero emissions by 2050.
9/20/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency released a 2020s climate plan in Springfield warning that current policies will not achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
9/18/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
Interesting
Illinois has not convened its Climate Displacement Act task force, delaying state climate-migration planning as its first report comes due in December.
9/28/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
In the 2020s, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency released a statewide climate plan proposing additional policies to reduce emissions and pursue net zero by 2050 in Illinois.
9/22/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
Illinois regulators approved 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage for deployment across MISO and PJM service areas by 2030 under a new state energy law.
9/15/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Illinois water officials and legislators address drought impacts and reporting gaps as local water emergencies expand and data center water-use rules are considered in 2020s hearings.
4/27/2026 • Adaptation & Resilience • General
Illinois regulators approved 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage projects for deployment across central, southern, and northern Illinois by 2030.
9/19/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
The Illinois Power Agency marked CEJA's fifth anniversary in Illinois in 2026, reporting expanded renewable generation, equity programs, and nuclear support.
9/15/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
ComEd reported exceeding $10 billion in renewable energy credit contracts by end of 2025 in Illinois, tied to expansion of distributed solar and long-term renewable generation payments.
5/28/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Illinois regulators awarded approximately 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage in the state's first procurement auction, with projects expected online by 2030.
9/15/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Delaware DNREC released the 2025 Delaware Climate Action Plan on January 7, 2026, to pursue net-zero emissions and climate resilience statewide.
8/14/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
Illinois passed an environmental justice air permitting bill, requiring the Illinois EPA to consider cumulative pollution and applicant violations for industrial construction permits beginning next year.
6/3/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
Additional
Illinois Commerce Commission approved Commonwealth Edison security deposits for large-load data center projects while directing new proceedings on ratepayer reliability and affordability protections.
3/21/2026 • Economy, Business & Innovation • General
ComEd expands electric vehicle rebates in Illinois in 2026 to accelerate electrification and grid readiness.
3/6/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Illinois House Bill 1700, pending with Governor J.B. Pritzker after June 23 delivery, expands ICC authority to resolve renewable siting delays tied to inconsistent local ordinances.
6/25/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General
Illinois Senate Bill 3830 would begin January 1, 2027, requiring data centers to report wastewater pollutant and water-use information and to adopt closed-loop cooling or treated wastewater by 2030.
3/30/2026 • Policy, Politics & Governance • General