Developing Clean Energy


Midwest Transmission Strategy

The Environmental Law & Policy Center hosted a Midwest Transmission Strategy meeting on April 20th and 21st, 2010 in Chicago.  The meeting brought together Midwest environmental, clean energy and consumer leaders to develop strategies to address delivery capacity issues for wind power and other renewables as well as important cost-allocation issues for new transmission.

New major interstate transmission lines in the Midwest/Great Plains are a double-edged sword:  On the one hand, they can provide additional needed delivery capacity for wind power and other new renewable energy development; on the other hand, they can provide enabling delivery capacity and lifelines of support for the continued operation of old Midwest highly-polluting coal plants (for example, to sell to higher-priced East Coast power markets). 

The importance of new transmission capacity to support wind power development is relatively clear. There is a less obvious and equally important goal of relating transmission advocacy to spur the retirement of old, highly-polluting coal plants in the Midwest/Great Plains states. There is a very important set of strategic leverage points because of the structure of the Midwest/Great Plains power market in 2010 – 2020.

Midwest Transmission Strategy Meeting Presentations

Other Resources

News


Howard Learner in Chicago Tribune: Illinois Can be a Solar Energy Leader

A feature in the Chicago Tribune looks at the growth of solar power in Illinois. With solar equipment becoming more affordable and supportive policies in place to encourage solar energy in Illinois and other states, solar is beginning to take off in the Midwest. ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner told the Tribune that Illinois’ recent legislation to ramp up solar power development will create at least 5,000 new green jobs in Illinois and that developers are planning more solar power plants around the state, similar to the 10 MW plant completed in Chicago this year.

“Illinois has the opportunity to be a very significant solar energy leader between the two coasts,” Learner said.

Read the full article in the Chicago Tribune