Can Illinois supply 100% of its power from renewables?
In my opinion the answer to this question is both yes and no. In the present I believe that the answer is a resounding no. With that said I do believe that it is a possibility in the future. According to the Energy Information Association, which is a sub department of the U.S. Department of Energy, the state of Illinois only gets a little more than 1% of its energy from renewable sources. Of this 1% wind has a slight edge over biomass as the leading renewable product. The main reason for the slow adoption of renewables in this state is the large presence of nuclear which generates 49% of our power and more kWh than any other state. Because of the fact that once nuclear is in place it is very unlikely to be removed until the plant is out of date, Illinois likely has a long road to a completely renewable energy portfolio. If Illinois is to have a completely renewable future it will have to come from a three sources of our energy consumption which is residential, industrial, and commercia
