Soot to Solar

The document outlines the technical framework for the 'Soot to Solar' analysis, utilizing the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) and HOMER Pro models to evaluate energy scenarios in Illinois. It specifies cost and performance assumptions for various generation technologies, calculates the social cost of carbon and health benefits of emission reductions, and assesses the feasibility of replacing natural gas peaker plants with storage and solar. Additionally, it includes land availability assessments for former coal sites and a public health impact analysis conducted with the Clean Air Task Force.

• The analysis utilizes the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) to model the effects of the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) and coal plant retirements across the contiguous United States, with a specific focus on Illinois.
• To determine the monetary value of carbon dioxide reductions, the study applies the US government's 'social cost of carbon' estimates, which range from $47 per ton in 2018 to $59 per ton in 2030, assuming a 3 percent discount rate.
• Modeling for the replacement of natural gas peaker plants at the Waukegan site indicates that the required storage capacity decreases significantly when combined with energy efficiency and solar deployment; while 100 MW of storage is needed for zero unmet load, only 17 MW is required if combined with FEJA-mandated efficiency and 5 percent load coverage from local solar.
• A public health analysis estimates that the early retirement of the Edwards and Waukegan coal plants (by 2022) compared to operation through 2030 would avoid 431 premature deaths, 264 heart attacks, 178 asthma ER visits, 124 hospital admissions, and 104 cases of chronic bronchitis.
• Land availability assessments for former coal sites show varying solar potentials: the Waukegan site has the highest potential at 119 MW AC, followed by Wood River (46 MW AC), Edwards (41 MW AC), Crawford (14 MW AC), and Fisk (9 MW AC).
• A reliability study by PowerGEM concluded that the retirement of two coal units at Waukegan would not impact reliability, but retiring the oil-burning combustion turbines would require 100 MW of replacement capacity to prevent reliability problems.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). Soot to Solar. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/10/soot-solar-technical-appendix.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Soot to Solar. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/10/soot-solar-technical-appendix.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Soot to Solar |date=October 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/10/soot-solar-technical-appendix.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018soot, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Soot to Solar}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/10/soot-solar-technical-appendix.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }