Ameren Illinois unveils new plan to help Illinois reach 100 percent clean energy by 2050

Ameren Illinois last week unveiled a plan to increase the production of lower-cost renewable energy through targeted investment in rural and underserved communities in an effort to move Illinois closer to reaching its goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050.

The plan will take the form of greater investment in renewable energy development, transportation electrification, and battery storage, with an eye on increasing solar energy production specifically. Ameren hopes to achieve this without sacrificing economic development benefits for customers throughout the central and southern Illinois region.

“Illinois needs to make meaningful progress toward a clean energy future and that requires innovation, certainty, and solutions from a partner with the track record for delivering results,” Richard Mark, chairman and president of Ameren Illinois, said. “The Downstate Clean Energy Affordability Act increases local clean energy production while keeping costs affordable for downstate consumers. It also provides an important economic boost to our downstate communities.”

The plan will solely benefit Ameren Illinois’ service territory. For those within that territory, the renewable portfolio standard will rise to 32.5 percent by 2030 to make state procurements of renewables for downstate customers more efficient and cost-effective. Customer costs will likewise be offset by crediting the monetary value of energy and capacity from solar and battery facilities back to the company’s customers. As an added benefit, Ameren hopes these efforts will jump-start the electric vehicle (EV) market through expansion of electric charging stations – and a plan to provide consumer rebates for the purchase of EVs and in-home charging stations.

The existing renewable portfolio standard states that 21 percent of Illinois’ energy mix should come from renewable sources by 2021, but only between 7 to 8 percent renewable energy is currently under contract, Ameren Illinois pointed out. Worse, the program that fueled this – the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act – is out of funds. Ameren believes its new plan could at least help turn things around, and push the state closer to its energy goals.