Five years after Illinois created the Coal to Solar and Energy Storage Initiative, a new report from Prairie Rivers Network and the Climate Jobs Institute at the University of Illinois examines what the program actually delivered — and what it means for the next generation of clean energy policy at retired coal plant sites.
The Initiative, created by the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), aimed to turn 11 retired or retiring coal plant sites across Illinois into new solar and battery storage projects. The results are mixed: three completed solar-plus-storage projects, and zero stand-alone battery storage projects. This report — based on interviews with Vistra Corp. and the Illinois Power Agency, county tax records, press about the program, and a review of public program rules and legislative history — examines what worked, what didn’t, and why.
Key Findings
Fixed $30/REC prices weren’t enough to keep the projects viable. The Initiative locked in that price in 2021. Inflation, financing costs, and supply chain problems drove up project costs in the years that followed, and the price never adjusted. Developers cancelled half of the proposed solar projects and all of the proposed stand-alone battery storage projects, citing those changed economics. Illinois’ newer Indexed REC Program adjusts prices over time — a tool this Initiative didn’t have.
Job creation fell well short of what was promised. The completed projects were built under project labor agreements and generated over 423,000 hours of skilled trades work. But total job creation came in at about a third of what Vistra originally projected, largely because of fewer projects moving forward.
The completed projects are generating new tax revenue, but far less than the coal plants did. The three completed projects are, or will soon be, producing new property tax revenue for Randolph, Montgomery, and Jasper counties. That revenue is a fraction of what the coal plants themselves paid in taxes historically.
Newer state programs could support projects that stalled under this Initiative. That includes the Indexed REC Program, the Brownfield Solar Program, and the new battery storage procurement under the 2026 Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA).
Coal ash cleanup remains unresolved at most sites. Most coal ash closure permits in Illinois have been under review for years with no clear timeline, and groundwater contamination is documented at nearly all the state’s coal plants. Those permitting decisions will continue to limit what’s possible at these sites until they’re resolved.
Why This Matters
As Illinois moves forward with the CRGA’s new energy storage procurement and other clean energy programs, the Coal to Solar Initiative offers a real-world case study in program design: what happens when eligibility is narrow, incentives are fixed, and implementation timelines slip. The report’s findings are relevant for policymakers and program administrators shaping what comes next.
This research was conducted for the Illinois Coal Workers & Communities Listening Project, led by the Climate Jobs Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in collaboration with experts from:
- University of Illinois Department of Urban and Regional Planning
- University of Illinois Extension
- University of Illinois Labor Education Program
- University of Illinois Humanities Research Institute
- Harlem High School Documentary Project
- Prairie Rivers Network
The Listening Project seeks to learn from Illinois coal workers, their families, and communities affected by mine and plant closures — preserving their stories and informing policies for a just energy transition.
Photo courtesy of Vistra