Progress Illinois

While on hand to dedicate the downstate "gob knob" wind farm in Farmersville last week, Gov. Quinn had some rather enthusiastic praise for wind power, calling it "the wave of the future" and adding that he'd like to see turbines in "every nook and cranny of our state."

The fact that the new farm is mounted on top of a former coal mine certainly makes for a powerful symbol that renewables are the next generation of Illinois energy. But as Wind for Illinois' Kevin Borgia has pointed out to us before, if the Prairie State is really serious about hanging on to its edge in the wind market -- particularly as competition heats up nationally -- the General Assembly is going to have to be strategic about how to make investment in Illinois attractive. This week, some pretty significant wind legislation is moving through statehouse committees, which Borgia says demonstrates that lawmakers are taking the power of wind seriously:

School Wind/ Solar Generation Act (SB1570): Creates a School Wind and Solar Generation Revolving Loan Fund to begin awarding loans or grants to public schools and community colleges to study and build wind or solar power projects. The intent is to "directly or indirectly reduce energy or other operating costs," to free up more money for classrooms.

Enterprise Zone Wind Farms (SB1923): Streamlines permitting and tax exemptions for large-scale wind farms under the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act, while requiring the projects meet the state's prevailing wage standards.

Green Jobs Training Fund (HB4186): In establishing a Green Jobs Training Fund, the state would agree to set aside up to $500,000 over the next two years to train mostly low-income adults to staff renewable energy projects.

It's worth noting that Illinois is already a leader in developing wind power because of some forward-thinking legislation by the General Assembly -- namely through a series of mandates that the state's largest electricity providers generate 20 percent of their power through renewable sources by 2020. That, combined with ongoing federal investments in wind power (the Department of Energy announced today that another $93 million is headed out the door) has created unprecedented potential. Still, it's up to the General Assembly to establish a wind power infrastructure -- training workers and preparing businesses to retrofit their factories to make wind equipment -- that will allow the state to move quickly when developers come knocking. "That's where we can really shine," Borgia tells us.