University of Illinois Reportedly Close to Signing $20M Solar Farm Deal
The University of Illinois is reportedly preparing to sign a power purchase agreement worth $20.1 million for a 10-megawatt solar farm near the Urbana campus.
illinois
Starbucks Stores Reach 100% Renewable Energy in Illinois
Starbucks says the company reached a milestone in Illinois this week: More than 340 stores there are now powered entirely by wind power generated in the state. When it opens later this year, the Starbucks Chicago Roastery will also run on wind power, according to the coffee chain. The company ... Read more »
These 10 States Led on LEED Green Building in 2018
Illinois rose from third place to top the US Green Building Council’s new annual list of the Top 10 States for LEED. Altogether the 10 states with the most LEED certified square feet per person in 2018 include more than 468 million gross square feet of space, according to USGBC.
Starbucks Signs Illinois Wind Energy Deal with Constellation
Starbucks signed a long-term agreement with energy provider Constellation to power more than 340 Illinois stores from Enel Green Power North America, Inc.’s HillTopper wind project. Constellation has a separate deal with Enel to purchase 14 megawatts of energy from the wind farm in Logan County, Illinois.
Salesforce Signs VPPA for 80 MW of Wind Power in Illinois
Salesforce announced a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement with EDP Renewables for 80 megawatts of wind power from a new facility in Illinois, the San Francisco-based cloud computing company announced today. The deal represents their largest commitment to renewable energy to date.
Net Zero Energy 189-Acre Development Planned for Illinois
Burr Ridge, Illinois-based real estate company Hawthorne is currently planning a net zero energy housing and commercial development for Lockport, Illinois, Crain’s Chicago Business reported. The project for Lockport, located about 30 miles southwest of Chicago, calls for 500 homes as well as a shopping center and a charter school. ... Read more »
ComEd’s $1.4 Billion Energy Efficiency Program Will Extend Rebates for Business Customers
ComEd recently announced the start of a new program in Illinois that will provide $350 million in funding for energy efficiency each year for the next four years. The program, created through the state’s Future of Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), is expected to almost double savings for ComEd’s customers as ... Read more »
200-Year-Old Illinois City Ponders First Utility Tax
For the first time since its establishment in 1827 – about 190 years ago – the city of Danville, in eastern Illinois, is considering imposing a utility tax.
Princeton, Illinois, to Raise Rates and Recruit a Citizens Electric Utility Advisory Committee
The Princeton, Illinois, City Council vote unanimously on September 19 to form a five-member Citizens Electric Utility Advisory Committee that would help run the municipality’s electricity department.
States Investigate Exxon, Launch Corporate Climate Fraud Crackdown
Massachusetts will investigate whether ExxonMobil lied to the public and investors about climate change risks to its business, joining New York and California in investigating the oil giant. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced the probe yesterday, at a press conference with New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman, former vice ... Read more »
Naperville Sets Electric Rates Through 2018
Following a three-year amnesty on electricity rates – with increases limited to 2 percent annually through 2015 – residents and businesses in Naperville, Illinois, will have to dig deeper to pay their bills, effective February 1. City Council members voted on January 5 to boost rates by 8.3 percent this ... Read more »
Naperville Not Too ‘Smart’ to Need a Rate Hike
When Naperville, Illinois, started its smart grid initiative in 2012, the city’s five-year plan was to invest in and implement distribution automation, smart meters, and demand-side programs; while at the same time keeping overall electric rates flat for the next two years, and then limiting subsequent rate increases to no more ... Read more »