ill. Coal to solar and energy storage bill gets Vistra support, mixed reviews

摘要

Vistra Energy, which has more than 5 GW of downstate Illinois generation capacity at risk of closure in 2019, declared its support Tuesday for legislation in Illinois that, if passed, would convert coal plant sites to solar-plus-storage. But the bill drew mixed reactions from industry observers. Cosponsored by state Senator Michael Hastings and state Representative Luis Arroyo, both Democrats, the Illinois Coal-to-Solar and Energy Storage Act of 2019 contains several provisions, including: - Redevelopment of downstate coal plant sites into utility-scale solar and energy storage - Retirement by 2030 of 5 MW of coal-fired capacity for each megawatt of new utility-scale solar and battery storage installed at existing coal plants -Retention of otherwise at-risk coal-fired plants online through 2024, while new renewable generation, transmission and energy efficiency projects are being built or implemented