Illinois running low on power as AI data centers spike electricity demand | The news is a blow to Gov. JB Pritzker’s climate change-fighting goals too, as demand from AI data centers soars

www.wbez.org Illinois running low on power as AI data centers spike electricity demand

The news is a blow to Gov. JB Pritzker’s climate change-fighting goals too, as demand from AI data centers soars while wind and solar development stalls.

9 comments

There’s an easy fix for this. It’s called a pricing sliding scale. The more you use, the higher your rates.
- Net-metering first. Okay, both, but still...

It's ok, we'll just raise everyone's bills to pay for more power plants. What's the problem? /s

I hate to suggest privatization, but ... are private Solar plants and wind under-attack, or just grid-connected ones?
Cap (at least new)corporate/industrial grid-demand, outlaw new fossil-fuel plants, and watch the corpost fight the feds for wind-and-solar tooth-and-nail. They aren't the ones demanding/defending more coal and gas so much any more, as its not the cost-effective option.
Throw in net-metering across-the-board too.
- Both. Theyre using tariffs to limit imports, took away tax credits, and are limiting the ability to build transmission and use public land
  
  I was referring to the EPA-and-other-federal-agencies permit-revocation and refusal-to-permit bullshit.
  I'm pretty sure Solar and wind are still the most economical options, even after everything you mentioned. You and I will look at these now more expensive options and go "shit, well I guess I can't afford to reduce my electric bill". Corporations either build where there is supply to meet their intended needs(running out of options), or they build the capacity themselves.
  The reason I brought this up, is that those wind-and-solar farms being built by public-entities and challenged by Trump don't have the vested-interests versus a factory that's going to use, and cannot do without, the power-capacity its building itself.
  Energy companies are content to keep selling from existing plants and raise prices when available supply is "low"(demand-based-pricing is profit-seeking, not "eco-friendly"). The local-and-state politicians backing the newsworthy projects only really care about fighting for them when the voters are watching or they need more campaign-money from big-Energy, who again, has no reason to care what gets built or doesn't.

The obvious short term thing to help as much as possible as fast as possible is to allow one to one power credits for home solar and such. Also specifically allow balcony solar systems.

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