State regulators have approved 600 megawatts of new utility-scale battery storage projects that are expected to come online by 2030. That’s roughly enough capacity to power half a million homes and more than four times the amount of utility-scale battery storage currently operating in Illinois.
The procurement was part of the state’s new Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, signed into law earlier this year. The initial auction targeted just over one-thousand megawatts of storage, but only 600 megawatts was ultimately secured.
Projects in central and southern Illinois, within the MISO power grid, accounted for 520 megawatts. Another 80 megawatts was secured in northern Illinois through the PJM grid.
Energy advocates say the lower-than-expected total does not represent a failure, and point to future procurement rounds that will give developers more flexibility.
Illinois is seeking at least 3,000 megawatts of energy storage by the end of 2030. Future programs will also allow battery storage to be paired with new solar and wind projects.
The state is also expanding residential programs that allow homes and businesses with solar panels and batteries to send excess power back to the grid during periods of high demand.
Regulators will review the progress of the storage programs later this year as part of a new statewide energy planning process.
