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Illinois approves 600 MW of battery storage by 2030
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Illinois regulators approved procurement results that will bring 600 megawatts of new utility-scale battery storage online by 2030, a step intended to smooth integration of solar and wind power under the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act. As first reported by Capitol News Illinois, the procurement raises state capacity from about 141 megawatts to roughly five times that level and moves the state toward a minimum 3,000 megawatt target by the end of 2030. The procurement split produced 520 MW in MISO territory and 80 MW in PJM territory, and state agencies plan more rounds in 2027 and 2028 with looser rules and stakeholder input this fall.
“Despite not hitting the initial procurement target, the 600 megawatts of storage, regardless, in and of itself, is a huge step forward for Illinois, and definitely a really great success for affordability and reliability in the state,”
Brett Sproul, Illinois policy advocacy lead, Advanced Energy United
Key takeaways
- The procurement will add 600 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage in Illinois by 2030, enough to power about half a million homes.
- Illinois currently has 141 megawatts of utility-scale battery storage, meaning the new award is over four times the existing capacity, according to SEIA.
- The Illinois Power Agency targeted 1,038 MW in the first auction (450 MW for MISO, 588 MW for PJM) but secured 520 MW in MISO and 80 MW in PJM.
- CRGA established a minimum 3,000 megawatts of storage to be procured by the end of 2030 and set up an integrated resource planning process beginning with an initial plan due in November.
Table of contents
What the first procurement delivered and how it stacks up
The Illinois Power Agency’s first procurement after the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act produced 600 megawatts of new utility-scale battery storage slated to come online by 2030. The award is presented as enough capacity to serve roughly half a million homes and is framed by regulators and advocates as a milestone in shifting generation from fossil fuel plants to variable renewables with storage backing them up.
That 600 MW compares with an estimated 141 MW of Illinois utility-scale storage already installed, a figure supplied by the Solar Energy Industries Association. The IPA’s initial target for the summer procurement was 1,038 MW, split into 450 MW for Midcontinent Independent System Operator territory and 588 MW for PJM territory; the procurement exceeded the MISO goal with 520 MW from four projects but secured only 80 MW in PJM from one project.
Why MISO outperformed PJM and what that means for future rounds
Industry contacts and named advocates point to interconnection timing and the procurement’s strict statutory rules as key reasons PJM underperformed. James Gignac, Midwest policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the procurement set commercial operation dates that did not align with many projects’ positions in PJM’s interconnection queue, and that several projects were reaching queue expiration at the same time the Illinois Power Agency ran the auction.
The procurement was legally constrained in its first round, the IPA says, but future procurements in 2027 and 2028 will have greater flexibility and will incorporate stakeholder feedback this fall. That means developers who could not meet the first round’s timing can reapply under conditions that may better align with PJM queue realities and with the financial incentives CRGA provides once projects qualify.
Paired projects, residential virtual power plants and the next scale-up
The initial procurement accepted only standalone storage projects; state and industry figures expect the next rounds to allow paired solar-plus-storage or wind-plus-storage proposals. Andrew Linhares, director of Midwest state affairs for SEIA, said paired projects will reveal the 'breadth and the number of interested developers' responding to CRGA’s incentives. SEIA and Wood Mackenzie data cited in reporting show that solar combined with batteries drove the fastest capacity growth in the U.S. during the first half of 2026.
Residential programs are proceeding in parallel. SOLRITE Energy entered the Illinois market under a virtual power plant program included in CRGA, offering paired rooftop solar and home batteries with no up-front cost; CEO Regan George set a goal to deploy between 500 and 1,000 paired systems across Illinois before the end of the year and to reach at least 5,000 installations in 2027. James Gignac said combining utility-scale procurements with residential aggregation will increase both grid flexibility and consumer affordability.
| Territory | Target (MW) | Awarded (MW) | Number of projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| MISO | 450 | 520 | 4 |
| PJM | 588 | 80 | 1 |
| Total | 1,038 | 600 | 5 |
How the next phase could play out
The case for
- Looser procurement rules in 2027–28 and stakeholder changes could let more PJM projects qualify and increase awarded MW toward the 3,000 MW statutory minimum.
- Allowing paired solar-plus-storage in future auctions would tap a growing market that SEIA and Wood Mackenzie report accounted for 70% of new U.S. capacity additions in H1 2026.
The case against
- Persistent interconnection delays in PJM could continue to keep shovel-ready projects out of procurement windows unless timing and queue rules change.
- If future auctions keep strict commercial operation dates, developers facing queue expirations or long lead times may again be unable to compete, slowing progress toward the 3,000 MW goal.
What to be careful about
- Interconnection queue timing in PJM that caused project expirations and mismatches with procurement commercial operation dates.
- Rigid statutory procurement parameters in the initial round that limited which projects could meet submission and delivery requirements.
- Uncertainty whether future procurements will permit paired solar-plus-storage at the same scale, affecting developer interest.
- The success of residential virtual power plant targets depends on vendor rollout and household adoption rates, which so far are company-stated goals rather than independently verified installations.
The bottom line
The 600 megawatts awarded in Illinois’ first post‑CRGA procurement is a measurable increase in battery capacity and a practical test of how statutory rules and interconnection realities interact. It narrows the gap between current utility-scale storage and the law’s 3,000 MW minimum by 2030, but the split between MISO and PJM shows rule design and queue timing matter as much as developer appetite. The coming stakeholder feedback, the integrated resource plan due in November 2026, and the 2027 procurement rounds will determine whether Illinois can translate this early success into the broader market response CRGA envisions.
What to watch
- Watch for the Illinois Power Agency’s integrated resource plan submission in November 2026; that initial filing will let regulators assess storage progress and procurement needs.
- Watch for the IPA stakeholder feedback process in fall 2026, when procurement rules for 2027–28 may be revised.
- Watch for the next procurement windows in 2027, which may allow paired storage with solar or wind and show the market reaction to CRGA incentives.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA)?
CRGA is Illinois legislation that took effect in June and sets procurement and planning requirements for the state’s grid, including a minimum 3,000 megawatts of energy storage to be procured by the end of 2030 and an integrated resource planning process beginning with an initial plan due in November.
Why did PJM territory win far less capacity than MISO in the first auction?
The Union of Concerned Scientists and industry contacts said the procurement’s commercial operation date requirements conflicted with many projects’ positions in PJM’s interconnection queue, where delays and queue expirations left projects unable to meet the auction timing.
How does residential participation factor into Illinois’ storage plans?
CRGA created a virtual power plant program that lets households with solar and batteries pool energy; SOLRITE Energy aims to install 500–1,000 paired systems by the end of the year and at least 5,000 in 2027, according to CEO Regan George.
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