ComEd-commissioned study details means for Illinois to reach economy-wide decarbonization by 2050
An independent study undertaken by Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. (E3) and commissioned by ComEd found that Illinois has several means of achieving full, economy-wide decarbonization by 2050 but is contingent on further action being taken.
“As the operator of the largest electric grid in Illinois, we have a critical role in enabling the state’s decarbonization goals, and we’re committed to making sure the transition to a clean energy economy is affordable and equitable for all of our customers,” Gil Quiniones, CEO of ComEd, said. “All paths to decarbonization will require the electric grid to do more. This report helps us and our partners in Illinois understand the options for getting to a net-zero future and the considerations we must make in order to ensure all customers maintain access to safe, reliable, and resilient power as we continue to address the impacts of climate change.”
Legislation like the state’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have and will continue to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the report made clear that action must go further, including additional renewables generation and a doubled grid size, to guarantee enough electricity exists to meet demands – and enough clean energy. Energy storage also needs to be built up, according to the report.
All of this will be costly, but E3 determined that the costs of decarbonization would be beneficial overall, thanks to its offsets to fossil fuel, carbon output, and climate change costs. What’s more, disadvantaged and low-income communities have the most to gain from the switchover – and because of that, the report called for prioritization of financial assistance in various forms to help lower adoption costs.
With input from a technical advisory committee composed of scientific, environmental, city, and state representatives, the report compiled eight months of work into three tested scenarios surrounding a net-zero economy transition:
- Things remain as they are, with existing state and federal laws addressing decarbonization. Illinois could not achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 under this scenario.
- A moderate path, with high levels of electrification but a major role for fuel backup in heating. The 2050 deadline could be achievable.
- A high electrification route, based on high levels of electrification and less reliance on hydrogen and gas backups in heating. This could also achieve the 2050 decarbonization deadline.
“We have evaluated deep decarbonization scenarios in many jurisdictions across North America to help inform the climate and clean energy policies that government, regulators, and utilities are making, and we’re seeing the electric sector make huge amounts of progress,” Amber Mahone, a partner at E3, said. “In Illinois, CEJA and the IRA will only accelerate that. There’s a lot of work still to be done to decarbonize vehicles and buildings, to reduce emissions from the agricultural and industrial sectors, and to commercialize critical emerging technologies like low-carbon fuels and the negative emissions technologies that will be needed to get to a carbon neutral future.”
