Illinois climate bill to support nearly 10GW of solar PV by 2030

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A recently completed community solar project in Illinois. Image: Pivot Energy.

The Senate of Illinois has passed legislation that will commit the US state to reaching 50% renewables by 2040 and 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045.

Dubbed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, the bill also includes a 40% interim renewable energy target by 2030 that is expected to support the construction of more than 4GW of utility-scale PV and 5.8GW of rooftop and community solar, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The trade body said the legislation “puts Illinois at the forefront of the fight against climate change” and will provide more than US$1 billion in electricity bill savings for consumers.

Three years in the making, the bill will see the Illinois Power Agency will procure around 2.5 million new renewable energy credits (RECs) by June 2022 and 3.8 million new RECs per year between 2022 and 2030. According to SEIA, the act “guarantees that renewable energy growth will create tens of thousands” of union jobs in Illinois.

Included in the legislation is a Coal to Solar and Storage Initiative that will make US$280.5 million available to energy storage projects installed at the sites of certain retiring coal plants in the state.

It was also revealed that the Senate voted to provide US$700 million in subsidies to Exelon over the next five years to keep two nuclear plants running. According to the company, more than 60% of Illinois’ electricity consumption currently comes from its six nuclear plants in the state.

The energy bill now heads to the desk of state Governor J.B. Pritzker, who said he looks forward to signing the measures into law as soon as possible, adding: “After years of debate and discussion, science has prevailed, and we are charting a new future that works to mitigate the impacts of climate change here in Illinois.”

Read Next

October 3, 2025
Chinese government policies and supply-side production cuts will drive a significant increase in solar and storage component costs.
September 30, 2025
US solar developer Sol Systems has completed construction on a 342MW PV project in the state of Illinois.
September 30, 2025
SynergyRED, a wholly owned subsidiary of Synergy, has submitted a development application for a 2GW hybrid renewable energy project in Western Australia's Mid-West Region.
September 29, 2025
Burns & McDonnell examines the outlook of the utility-scale solar sector amidst the latest policy and tariff changes.
September 26, 2025
Residential solar and energy storage could meet all the projected demand from US data centres over the next five years if tech companies invest in household energy infrastructure.
September 26, 2025
Global grids have failed to keep pace with renewable energy technologies and have become the “bottleneck of the energy transition”, according to a new policy report from the Global Solar Council (GSC).

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland