July 14, 2022

Source: Grist

Excerpt:

In Illinois, a renewable energy procurement plan is turning 11 retired coal-fired power plants into clean electricity powerhouses.

Illinois legislators recently unveiled installation sites for more than 200 megawatts of new solar power and battery storage projects that were mandated by a state law called the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which passed last fall. As part of the plan, the Texas-based energy company Vistra will install up to 68 megawatts of solar capacity, enough to power some 10,000 homes, at each of six retired coal plants, along with up to 9 megawatts of battery storage. Five other coal plants, owned by Vistra and another power company called NRG Energy, will be converted into battery-only projects. (The batteries help capture extra solar energy so that it can be deployed when the sun isn’t shining.)

Read more: Illinois is converting coal plants to solar projects