Illinois Lawmakers Can Fight Rising Energy Costs During Veto Session – CleanTechnica

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Energy prices are at record highs and will rise again in 2026. Legislators must pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act to prevent future increases.

ILLINOIS – Illinois clean energy advocates are calling on the Illinois General Assembly to pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) during the legislature’s October veto session to help protect families and businesses from rising energy costs. Numerous studies and real-world examples from other states demonstrate that provisions in CRGA will provide both immediate and long-term energy savings for Illinois.

Energy bills for Illinois businesses and families have skyrocketed this summer — as much as $46 per month for the average Ameren homeowner — because the state does not have enough electricity supply to meet demand. Without action from state leaders, energy prices for businesses and families will climb higher year after year, as recent energy auctions set energy supply prices at another record high for 2026.

Further, the Illinois Environmental Council projects the recent federal action that revokes clean energy incentives, cancels permits, and adds barriers for clean energy will increase Illinois household energy costs by an additional $400 per year and commercial and industrial power costs by 21%, underscoring the need for state-level action to reduce costs. In a time when over 1 in 3 people have sacrificed needs such as food or medicine to pay an energy bill, lawmakers must immediately provide relief to residents before power costs increase further.

How CRGA Will Help:

The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act will save consumers $34 billion. It reduces costs by increasing energy supply in the near- and long-term.

CRGA will expand Illinois’ energy supply by supporting development of energy storage, which absorbs excess electricity when prices are low to deliver it when demand and costs are higher.

CRGA would also create a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program to deliver immediate savings by aggregating power from already-built distributed energy sources at homes, businesses, organizations, and elsewhere, and sending that energy to the grid to bolster supply. A VPP can be established in as little as six months. VPPs and energy storage are proven solutions to lower energy costs:

• CRGA creates $34 billion in net savings on Illinois energy bills over 20 years, according to an analysis by The Power Bureau. This would mitigate the price spikes that have hit businesses and families hard this summer — and will again next summer.
• The Illinois Power Agency projects that the CRGA would lower household energy bills by up to $20.54 by 2035 and its energy storage program would save two to four times its cost.
• Energy storage, solar, and wind are by far the fastest and most affordable energy sources to build and activate — nearly three times less expensive and twice as fast as gas; three times faster than coal; and seven times faster than nuclear.

CRGA will save consumers money and prevent an economic disaster for Illinois by supporting the state’s growing clean energy economy. Illinois ranked fourth in the nation for solar energy growth in 2024 and sixth in the nation for total wind energy, but this impressive growth — and the jobs clean energy has created — is at risk.

If nothing changes, the Illinois Environmental Council projects this summer’s federal action will have sweeping economic impacts across the state, including:

• 52,000 lost clean energy and manufacturing jobs
• $16.8 billion in lost public and private investments
• 105 facilities put at risk of closure
• 21% higher commercial and industrial energy bills, making Illinois a less attractive state for business investments

These devastating blows dealt by federal action can be softened through CRGA, which creates family-supporting clean energy jobs and helps lower bills through building energy capacity and optimizing existing energy infrastructure and policies.

The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act will use proven solutions to counteract rising electric bills. It will save Illinois residents and businesses money now and in the future, and it will protect thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity put at risk by federal action.

Quotes from Experts and Advocates:

Lesley McCain, Executive Director, Illinois Solar Energy and Storage Association: “Families and businesses across Illinois are struggling with higher energy costs, and the state is at risk of losing hundreds of small businesses and thousands of jobs. Illinois simply cannot afford to delay action. Lawmakers must pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act this veto session to protect our neighbors and economy.”

Andrew Linhares, Central Regional Senior Manager, Solar Energy Industries Association: “Illinois has long been a leader among the states in solar and storage deployment, and now is the time to build on that legacy by passing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act this veto session. The Illinois grid’s reliability – and ratepayers’ electric bills – depend on it. Solar and storage and virtual power plants are the fastest, most cost-effective solutions to strengthen the grid and prevent costs from skyrocketing for years to come. Other states like Texas and California are embracing these commonsense technologies to help lower energy bills, and Illinois should too.”

Stephanie Burgos-Veras, Senior Manager of Equity Programs, Coalition for Community Solar Access: “Our most vulnerable neighbors rely on affordable, dependable energy, but the trend is headed in the wrong direction in Illinois. Community solar and storage benefit communities that cannot otherwise access clean energy. The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act will provide critical support for low-income communities by ensuring storage is deployed equitably across Illinois. The General Assembly must pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act this fall to protect our most in-need neighbors.”

Jeff Danielson, VP of Advocacy, Clean Grid Alliance: “Now is the opportunity for Illinois legislators to meet this critical moment with the tried-and-true policies we know will protect ratepayers, modernize the grid, and grow business opportunities up and down the state. Passing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act will provide consumers with significant relief and ensure our grid is stable, with cost-effective and quick-to-deploy technology.”

Samarth Medakkar, Policy Principal, Advanced Energy United: “After two decades of stability, Illinois is entering an era of fast-rising electricity demand. Meanwhile, federal government policies are worsening the supply crunch by making it harder to build the electricity resources that are cheapest and fastest to develop: wind, solar, and storage. While this is out of state lawmakers’ hands, the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act allows Illinois’ leaders to signal to the advanced energy sectors that the state welcomes investments to prepare the grid by building more electricity supply and thereby lower costs for consumers.”

Katie Maloney, Deputy Director, Midwest State Affairs, American Clean Power Association: “To support consumers and economic growth amid skyrocketing electricity prices and rising demand, Illinois must invest in new energy resources. Energy storage systems deploy quickly and provide affordable, reliable power by better utilizing energy from existing generation sources. Illinois can lead in energy storage and gain cost and reliability benefits already seen across the nation. We must seize this opportunity to address infrastructure challenges while other resources are constrained—or risk losing our competitive edge.”

Kavi Chintham, of Vote Solar on behalf of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition: “While grid operators PJM and MISO are slow to connect cost-effective clean energy to the grid to help meet growing demand, and the Trump administration tries to bail out the fossil fuel industry at ratepayers’ expense, Illinois lawmakers can step up to the plate this fall and pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act. This legislation will protect families from utility bill spikes, preserve and grow our clean energy workforce, and maintain our leadership on climate action, regardless of regional and national upheaval.”

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About SEIA®: The Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA) is leading the transformation to a clean energy economy. SEIA works with its 1,200 member companies and other strategic partners to fight for policies that create jobs in every community and shape fair market rules that promote competition and the growth of reliable, low-cost solar power. Founded in 1974, SEIA is the national trade association for the solar and solar + storage industries, building a comprehensive vision for the Solar+ Decade through research, education and advocacy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org and follow @SEIA on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

News release from SEIA.