Illinois Explores Electric Vehicles
Anastasia Palivos is Acting Commissioner at the Illinois Commerce Commission.
The global race toward a new energy economy is in full swing. Many Western European countries and even major U.S. economic competitors like China and India have committed to meeting substantial carbon reduction goals.
While the U.S. has been a leader in areas like energy efficiency for decades, to date, adoption of a federal carbon reduction policy has languished, leading states to proactively examine policies that prioritize clean energy jobs and investment.
Most recently, the Illinois Commerce Commission signaled interest in transportation electrification by hosting a Policy Session on April 4, 2018, to consider the nexus between electric vehicle adoption and grid stabilization.
The ICC organized the session following reports indicating that widespread EV adoption could bring Illinois up to forty-three billion in benefits by 2050 stemming from reduced utility bills, carbon pollution, and fuel and vehicle expenses.
Myriad solutions exist to addressing carbon reduction. For instance, integrating distributed energy resources, including solar, wind, hydropower, and biomass, into the electric grid has the potential to both reduce reliance on fossil fuels and supply the grid with clean energy.