Event participants discussed topics of clean energy, carbon-free power, and electric vehicles, as well as their associated economic benefits and jobs. The cost-saving opportunities and environmental benefits that solar and energy efficiency upgrades offer customers were key topics of interest to the attendees, although they expressed concern for the need to ensure these benefits reach rural electric cooperative customers.

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Attendees were also eager to explore creative ways to take advantage of the new opportunities created by FEJA, such as repurposing empty factories to provide permanent renewable energy manufacturing jobs for local workers and using land that can’t be farmed, like landfills, for community solar panel installations.

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The evening concluded with an expert panel of representatives from Straight Up Solar, New Prairie Construction, and Tick Tock Energy, as well as Joe Tillman, instructor and sustainability coordinator from Lake Land College, and Dr. Peter Ping Liu, professor and director of the Center for Clean Energy Research and Education at Eastern Illinois University.

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The panel fielded questions about the economics of a potential “clean” coal plant in Coles County, agreeing that the price of coal-fired power would be uneconomical given the low cost of natural gas and the falling costs of utility scale solar and wind.

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When the discussion turned to moving away from coal-fired power, the majority of event participants hoped to see transition plans in place that include economic development, coal ash clean-up, and worker retraining and job placement for coal plant communities.

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Liu ended the evening by saying, “Tonight’s event has given me hope.”

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For more information: https://ilcleanjobs.org/who-we-are/

Questions: email ColesProgressives@gmail.com

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