In an opinion piece for Crain's Chicago Business, United's Samarth Medakkar and Climate Control Group’s Joe Parsons highlight the cost savings and grid benefits of geothermal heating and cooling, urging lawmakers to expand access to these proven technologies by passing House Bills 3399 and 3609.
Topics: United In The News, Illinois, Samarth Medakkar, Building Electrification, Geothermal
Groups unify and urge Illinois regulators to align storage roadmap with 1,500 MW clean energy target
CHICAGO, Ill., April 14, 2025 – Illinois clean energy trade associations are unifying and calling for the Illinois Commerce Commission’s (ICC) consultant to make critical revisions to its upcoming report on clean energy storage procurement.
The report, currently in draft form and prepared by an ICC-appointed consultant, is intended to guide the state’s path toward deploying 1,500 megawatts (MW) of energy storage as part of Illinois’ ultimate clean energy and grid reliability goals, a benchmark set by recent legislation. However, the early draft indicates a recommendation of approximately half that amount, prompting a unified response from Illinois’ clean energy industry urging course correction.
Topics: Press Releases, Illinois, Trish Demeter, energy storage
Advanced Energy United applauds the Illinois House for passing House Bill 3650 to help homeowners, renters, and building owners lower their energy bills and make improvements to their properties.
Illinoisans will benefit greatly from the bill, which would create a State Navigator Program to link them with already-available programs that could lower the cost of their utility bills or reduce the price of making energy efficiency improvements to their properties.
Topics: Utility, Press Releases, Energy Efficiency, Illinois, Samarth Medakkar
HB3758/SB2497 solidifies Illinois’ leadership as national officials back away from clean energy
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., February 25, 2025 – Illinois families and businesses would see lower energy bills under HB3758/SB2497, a newly filed bill by Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) and Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago).
“With energy prices skyrocketing across the country and leaders in Washington opening the floodgates for fossil fuels, our bill makes it clear that Illinois will remain at the forefront of lowering energy costs while investing in clean energy,” Sen. Cunningham said. “HB3758/SB2497 proves to the nation that we don’t have to choose between taking care of our communities, our economy, and our planet.”
Topics: Press Releases, Illinois, Samarth Medakkar, Battery Storage
HB5856 and SB3959 will increase the reliability of the Illinois energy grid, protect ratepayers from rising costs, future-proof the economy, and help the state achieve climate goals
ILLINOIS – Illinois clean energy industries are unified in supporting HB5856 and SB3959, new legislation that will future-proof Illinois’ energy grid and economy, lower consumer costs, meet climate goals, create family-sustaining careers, and mitigate increasing risks of blackouts.
Topics: State Policy, Press Releases, Illinois, Battery Storage
Renewable Energy World reports that two bills, HB5856 and SB3959, are working their way through the Illinois General Assembly. The bills aim to establish Illinois' first energy storage mandate, increase grid resilience, and decrease energy costs for consumers. United's Trish Demeter spoke to the benefits of the bills and the importance of energy storage solutions to accommodate growing power demands within the state.
Topics: United In The News, Illinois, Trish Demeter, Virtual Power Plants
CHICAGO, IL – Without rapid investments in clean energy storage, Illinois consumers will pay up to $30 more per month for energy, and the state will face energy shortfalls and a higher risk of blackouts, according to a newly released study.
The study, “Cost and Benefit Analysis of Energy Storage Resource Deployment in Illinois,” found that deploying at least 8,500 MW of clean energy storage would provide $3 billion in consumer cost savings, save $7.3 billion in blackout-related costs through increased grid reliability, and generate up to $16.3 billion in economic activity in Illinois by 2050.
Topics: Press Releases, Illinois
Advanced Energy United applauds the legislation that now heads to Gov. Pritzker’s desk
SPRINGFIELD, IL - The Illinois Legislature this week voted to create a new incentive program for electric fleet vehicles, such as delivery trucks and school buses. House Bill 4196, sponsored by Representative Martin J. Moylan and Senator Ram Villivalam, establishes the first-in-the-Midwest program to help small businesses, school districts and public fleet owners overcome economic barriers to purchase electric vehicles, which can have higher upfront costs but significantly lower lifetime costs to own and operate.
Topics: Press Releases, Electric Vehicles, Electric school buses, Illinois, Samarth Medakkar
Late last month, the Illinois Commerce Commission suspended Peoples Gas' pipe replacement and ordered an investigation into this program, which is responsible for an increase in rates since work began in 2011. The call to restart the program in the op-ed "The ICC needs to restart Peoples Gas' pipeline replacement immediately" (Nov. 29) is shortsighted, and doesn't factor in the surge in market trends toward home electrification technologies, driven by consumer choice.
Topics: United In The News, Illinois, Samarth Medakkar
7 in 10 Illinoisans say that state officials should be doing more to reduce emissions from gas and diesel vehicles, transition to zero-emission models
JULY 21, 2022 – Roughly 7 in 10 Illinoisans say smog and air pollution are negatively impacting their quality of life, and want state officials to do more to decrease the gas and diesel vehicle emissions causing much of the problem.
The findings are part of a new statewide survey conducted by YouGov in partnership with national business association Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), and come just a month after the American Lung Association listed the Chicago metro area as having the 16th-worst ozone pollution in the nation.
"Transportation emissions are the largest source of pollution, particularly from trucks and buses, and parts of Illinois are suffering from unsafe levels of ozone, particularly during the summer,” said Ryan Gallentine, Transportation Policy Director at AEE. “Illinoisans say they want their state leaders to take action by electrifying the state’s trucks, buses and delivery vans more quickly.”
Topics: Press Releases, Electric Vehicles, Ryan Gallentine, Illinois