Illinois Renewable Energy Standard: 25% by 2025

Illinois lawmakers realize that without strong policy, our state will miss out on the opportunities that come with clean energy development. That's why in 2007, Illinois lawmakers joined more than 20 other states in establishing a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) for electric utilities.

The law mandates investor-owned electric utilities must ramp up to 25% electricity from renewable sources by 2025, and 75 percent of that must come from wind. In 2008, lawmakers amended the law to cover all competitive electric suppliers in Illinois, essentially doubling the size of the RPS.

Today, Illinois electric load is supplied by approximately 45 percent nuclear power, 45 percent coal power and about five percent from natural gas and other sources. Under the RPS law, 5 percent of our electricity in 2009 comes from wind and other renewable sources.

The Illinois Power Agency manages the electric portfolio for the major utilities in the state, ensuring the law's requirements are met. The IPA is statutorily required to procure renewable power at low cost, and the law prohibits renewable energy purchases from increasing electric rates more than half-a-percent over the previous year.