Achieving Illinois’s Clean Energy Potential

The document details the use of the NREL Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model to evaluate three policy scenarios for Illinois: a 'No Policies' case, an 'Existing EEPS + Fixed RPS' case, and a 'Strengthened EEPS + RPS' case. It outlines specific adjustments made to EIA AEO 2014 cost and performance assumptions for various generating technologies, including wind, solar, nuclear, and carbon capture and storage, to better reflect project-specific data and recent studies. Additionally, it provides the calculation methods for energy efficiency costs and savings based on Illinois utility filings.

• The analysis utilizes three distinct future cases for Illinois: a 'No Policies' case where no targets are required beyond 2014; an 'Existing EEPS + Fixed RPS' case aiming for 25 percent renewable energy by 2025; and a 'Strengthened EEPS + RPS' case based on 2015 proposed legislation targeting 35 percent renewable energy by 2030.
• For the 'Strengthened EEPS + RPS' case, the proposed energy efficiency portfolio standard (EEPS) targets a cumulative annual persisting reduction in electric energy demand of 20 percent by the end of 2025, relative to average annual electricity sales from 2014 through 2016.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) adjusted NREL ReEDS model assumptions to assume higher initial capital costs for new nuclear plants and plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) compared to EIA AEO 2014 projections, citing recent project cost increases and mid-range estimates.
• UCS assumed lower initial capital costs for onshore wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) than the EIA, based on data from recent U.S. projects, while projecting that solar PV costs will decline over time following DOE Sunshot Vision Study scenarios.
• The model assumes that onshore wind capacity factors will increase over time to reduce the overall cost of electricity, with Class 3 wind increasing from 32% in 2014 to 40% by 2050.
• Energy efficiency investments are estimated using a utility cost of $0.204/kWh (in 2013$) for 2015-2017, with an additional estimated participant cost of $0.234/kWh (in 2013$) for equipment and installation.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2015). Achieving Illinois’s Clean Energy Potential. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/04/achieving-illinois-clean-energy-potential-technical-appendix.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Achieving Illinois’s Clean Energy Potential. 2015. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/04/achieving-illinois-clean-energy-potential-technical-appendix.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Achieving Illinois’s Clean Energy Potential |date=April 2015 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/04/achieving-illinois-clean-energy-potential-technical-appendix.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2015achieving, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Achieving Illinois’s Clean Energy Potential}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/04/achieving-illinois-clean-energy-potential-technical-appendix.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }