DECEMBER 2009 UPDATE:
In 2009, the City of Chicago partnered with Exelon and SunPower Corporation for the development of the nation’s largest urban solar power plant at a former industrial site in Pullman on Chicago’s South Side. The new solar power plant will be a significant source of clean energy for the city. When completed, the solar plant will produce an average of 14,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of power, enough to power 1,200 to 1,500 homes. The plant will result in CO2 emissions savings of more than 14,000 metric tons annually, equivalent to removing 2,500 cars from city streets each year.

Clean & Renewable Energy Sources

To address climate change, the world must require higher efficiency from existing energy sources and move to cleaner power sources. Chicago homes and businesses receive power purchased from the larger regional grid of Midwest plants, which includes nuclear, coal-fired, natural-gas fired and renewable-generation plants. Some of these are a significant source of C02 emissions, especially those that use coal. Upgrading or repowering the 21 coal plants in the state of Illinois, including two in Chicago, could yield a significant reductions, Chicago's share of which would be 2.5 million metric tons of C02e. Implementation of a cap and trade system will also help achieve this goal.

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MITIGATION STRATEGIES

1. Upgrade Power Plants

Upgrade or repower 21 Illinois power plants = 2.5 MMTCO2e reduction*

2. Improve Power Plant Efficiency

Raise efficiency standards for new and existing power generators = 1.04 MMTCO2e reduction*

3. Build Renewable Electricity

Procure enough renewable energy generation for Chicagoans to reduce electricity emissions by 20 percent = 3.0 MMTCO2e reduction*

4. Increase Distributed Generation

Increase efficient power generated onsite using distributed generation and combined heat and power = 1.12 MMTCO2e reduction*

5. Promote Household Renewable Power

Double current household-scale renewable electricity generation = .28 MMTCO2e reduction*

*MMTCO2e (million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent) is the term for the quantity of any greenhouse gas, including carbon dioxide, methane and others, translated CO2 by weighing it by its relative global warming potential. A reduction of 1 MMTCO2e is equivalent to removing nearly 185,000 cars from the road.