Renewables could displace 31 megatonne of CO2 in one US state

CHICAGO, Illinois, US, June 15, 2005 (Refocus Weekly)

Strong support for renewable energy in the state of Illinois could displace the annual emission of 31 million tons of CO2 by 2020.

Setting renewable portfolio standards for electric utilities would generate US$7 billion in economic benefits and create 7,800 new jobs through 2012, says the University of Illinois. The 146-page analysis examines the proposal from governor Rod Blagojevich to require utilities to generate 2% of electricity from green power starting in 2006, rising to 8% by 2012, with wind turbines providing the majority of the power.

The study estimates both direct and indirect economic impacts from the proposal, and finds that increasing the investment in renewables, energy efficiency, cogeneration (CHP) and coal-fired combined cycle generation would increase state’s total economic output by $4.7 billion by 2012 and $18 billion by 2020, and would increase income for residents by $5.5 billion by 2020. It would also create 191,000 new jobs by 2020, of which 7,800 would be created by 2012 in renewable energy development and another 7,400 as a result of improved industrial energy efficiency.

Electricity consumption in Illinois would remain constant until 2020 due to increases in energy efficiency, offsetting growth in demand and decreasing overall consumption by 28,000,000 MWh by 2020. Power from renewables, CHP and IGCC would diversify the generation portfolio, which currently is nuclear and coal-fired.

The study shows that increased use of renewables, efficiency and CHP “could help Illinois make significant progress toward air pollution reductions” needed to comply with new federal requirements to reduce power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury. Implementing just the renewable energy scenario would reduce SO2 and NOx pollution by 2012 by the equivalent of four typical power plants.

Meeting the RPS target of 8% by 2012 and 16% 2020 would require construction of green power facilities capable of delivering 12.5 million MWh in 2012 and 28 million MWh in 2020. It would require installation of 6,838 MW of turbines that generate 20,850,000 MWh (75% of that total generation) in 2020.

Over the past 15 years, significant experience has been gained from domestic windfarms in California, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Texas and Vermont, and “considerable advances have been made in the ability to design, site, install, operate and maintain turbines, both on a single-unit level as well as part of an entire windfarm,” it explains. “Continued significant improvements in cost and performance of wind turbines are likely in the future.”

The Department of Energy has produced new wind resource maps of Illinois which show that Illinois has at least 3,000 MW in potential wind capacity from Class 4 areas and an additional 6,000 MW in higher Class 3 resources.

The total cost of installing 7,743 MW of green power capacity (delivered capacity of 3,173 MW) is $8.1 billion between 2006 and 2020 and, on a capital cost basis, “this is considerably more investment than would be required to install either pulverized coal or combined cycle natural gas to achieve equivalent delivered power generation,” it notes. When fuel costs are considered, wind is less expensive on a $/kWh basis of delivered electricity power than either option and compares favourably to IGCC than CHP technology.

“The study shows that, not only would the Sustainable Energy Plan I proposed in February help clean up our air and reduce our reliance on imported energy sources, it would also provide an important boost for Illinois by creating nearly 8,000 new jobs and pumping billions of dollars into our economy,” says governor Blagojevich. “The UIC study helps make a strong case for our Sustainable Energy Plan that is now pending before the Illinois Commerce Commission.”

“We can see the entire scope of economic and job creation benefits that will come from the governor’s Renewable Energy Plan over the next seven years, and they are enormous,” adds Jack Lavin of the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity. “The wind energy projects operating in Illinois are demonstrating not only the environmental benefits of renewable energy but also the economic benefits of new jobs installing and operating the equipment, and new income for the farmers on whose land the projects are built.”

The two largest electric utilities in Illinois, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren, have endorsed the Sustainable Energy Plan.

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