7am News, Sports and Obits
Latest WGIL news
Click to play or
Right click and "Save Target As" to download
Click for Galesburg, Illinois Forecast
Home - Cancellations - Community Events - Contact Us - Mornings - News - Obituaries - Pictures - Programs - Special Events Audio - Sports - Weather
Solar Energy Bills Head to Governor
Two pieces of legislation regarding solar energy are on their way to the governor's desk.

One bill sets targets for solar energy to be used in Illinois between by 2015; the other limits the power of condominium and homeowners' associations to prohibit solar panels. Both passed the House of Representatives this week.

Max Muller of the group Environment Illinois says solar energy will allow Illinois to replace coal for energy and in the economy. "If we started now, we could position Illinois to be the state that's building the solar panels and has the technological expertise to install them, and exporting that to other states," he says. "If you say over the last years coal was a major economic driver in Illinois, I think that over the next hundred years, you could see solar playing the same type of role -- solar and wind."

Supporters say the legislation will produce more than 5,000 jobs.

Muller says notwithstanding the $4 billion that Prairie Star Generating is spending to construct a coal-burning power plant in Washington County , coal's future is limited.

(Illinois Radio Network)
05 28 10 by Newsroom
News management powered by Xpression News

Click here for the WGIL News Archive

Click here for national news

The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.