161 Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act

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Publication date: 2026/08/14

There is one thing that has a lifespan shorter than a beer keg at a fraternity party. It is alternating current (AC) generated electricity. To store generated electricity it must be converted to direct current (DC) then be put into a battery material for storage.

This article is being written in response to the new Illinois directive Senate Bill 25, Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), SB 25. One part of the bill, Establish a State procurement of 3GW of grid-scale battery storage by 2030: Battery storage represents an essential technology that will meet Illinois’ growing energy capacity needs and lower utility bills. This is unproven and has scientific flaws.

To have a properly working power grid it must be determined what the peak needs are and create a collection of reliable generation stations to meet those peak needs. There are many ways to generate electricity. They include hydro, coal burning, natural gas, nuclear plants, and windmills and solar panels. All generate electricity which has no shelf life on its own.

Therefore, storage farms need to be created if it is desired to create a stored backup.

There are many questions that need to be answered for these storage farms. How long does the battery backup need to last before shut down or power restart? What is the safety factor in having this many batteries in one location? In determining the size of the backup needed, exactly what power needs need to be served, all power functions or specific items? What power storage (battery) materials will be used to create this backup? What is the potential environmental mess from the harvesting of the materials for the batteries? If these are the same battery materials used in electric vehicles, what does that do to the EV market as increased demand for a natural resource drives up the price of the resource?

According to search.brave.com the answers are interesting. Batteries themselves can last between two and four hours until full discharge or power system resumption. If the batteries are used to try and balance out the power there is an inefficiency of process. The power generation and use is AC and batteries are DC. The power generation to charge the batteries must be converted from AC to DC during storage then reconverted from DC to AC for use. There is a loss in power for this to happen.

The safety factory of battery farms is already being called into question. Keep in mind that we are not supposed to dispose of Lithium Ion batteries in the garbage can. The reason, there is a danger that the batteries can catch fire. From search.brave.com, putting those fires out requires:

Putting out a battery farm fire requires large volumes of water, specialized fire suppression systems, and strict safety protocols to manage thermal runaway and toxic gas release.

Water Volume and Application

Massive Quantities: Unlike standard fires, battery farm fires require thousands to tens of thousands of gallons of water to cool the cells below ignition temperature and stop the thermal runaway cascade.
Sustained Flow: Water must be applied continuously and in high volume directly to the battery packs, not just to visible flames, as surface extinguishment does not stop internal chemical reactions.
Cooling Priority: The primary goal is thermal equilibration of the entire pack, which can take hours and significant water reserves.

Suppression Systems and Agents

Specialized Extinguishers: For initial response or smaller cells, Class D extinguishers (for lithium metal) or aerosol-based systems (like Stat-X) may be used, though standard ABC dry chemical extinguishers are often ineffective for large-scale thermal runaway.
Containment Tools: EV fire blankets or containment structures are used to prevent the fire from spreading and to concentrate cooling efforts.
Submersion: In some cases, fully involved battery packs are submerged in water containers to ensure complete cooling and prevent reignition.

Safety and Monitoring

Toxic Gas Hazard: Fires release toxic and flammable vapors (including fluorine), requiring firefighters to use full respiratory protection and maintain safe distances.
Reignition Risk: There is a high risk of reignition for up to 72 hours after the initial fire is suppressed, necessitating continuous monitoring and cooling.
Electrical Safety: All power sources must be isolated before suppression efforts begin to prevent electrocution and additional energy input to the fire.

Rock Island County Illinois is having hearings on a proposed battery farm in Milan Illinois. Fire, safety, and environmental issues lead the discussion.

After safety issues, there is the choice of battery materials which faces multiple interesting dilemmas. First, there is the harvesting of the necessary materials from the ground. This is proven to be a very messy and liquid chemical or water and energy dependent system. The actual carbon footprint seems to be ignored because it is not in our back yard.

The key to electricity is proper generation capabilities. Electricity must be generated, then delivered. Per search.brave.com A/C generated power can travel 300 to 500 miles. High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) can travel 1000+ miles.

Electricity in and of itself must be used as it is generated. That is true with pretty much all power generation. Diesel, gasoline, natural gas, when used to an energy purpose are also used right away. Motors of all sorts create and use energy. The internal combustion engine uses fuel to produce energy either directly in the case of most automobiles. Diesel and natural gas similarly. Don’t confuse the fuel with the product.

There are carbon foot prints for all types of fuel. Even Hydro power has ecological concerns. Just ask the fish.

I looked at Geneseo Illinois to see how they have designed their municipal power system. From their web site https://www.cityofgeneseo.com/departments/electric-utility/:

The Electric Utility Department is responsible for the maintenance and operations of the City’s electric generating facilities and its electric distribution system. Eric Rowold is the Director of Electrical Operations.

The Geneseo Municipal Electric Plant began generating electricity for the citizens of Geneseo on October 31, 1933. The Plant currently serves 3,600 customers.

The peak load has increased from 200 kilowatts in 1933 to 20,185 kilowatts in 1995.

The Plant was completely remodeled in 1946-1947 and additions were made to the building in 1961, 1966, 1967, 1973, 1998, and 2002.

The generating capacity of the Plant has increased from an installed capacity of 720 kilowatts in 1933 to 37,747 kilowatts in 2015. Of this capacity, 29,840 kilowatts comes from diesel and natural gas; 3,000 kilowatts come from wind, 3,690 kilowatts come from coal and 944 kilowatts from solar.

In 1973 an interconnection with Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric Company, now Mid-American Energy, was added. Giving us emergency power and added power capabilities.

The generating Plant houses eight diesel engines with a total horsepower of 41,615. Seven of the engines can run on natural gas or diesel.

A modern distribution system of the Plant operates at 4,160 volts and 12,470 volts.

The administrative building was built in 1967. Line garages were added in 1968 and 1983.

A substation was installed on Stewart Street in 1972. An additional substation was installed at the Plant in 1989.

The Utility operates and maintains the LED street lighting for the City.

Recent Improvements include installing a fiber optic backbone which serves the Utility in monitor and control of the electrical system.
The City’s network ties departments together.

AMR electric meters have been installed.

In 2007 SCR emission controls were being installed.

In 2009 two Vensys model 77 wind turbines were installed

In 2009 the utilities became a market in the MISO market ( Click Here to learn more on MISO)

In 2015 the utilities install a 1,232 KW DC Solar Array

I have left messages with Eric Rowold but at this publication time I have received no call back. If there is a change in this status I will update.

Illinois is stating in the legislation that the goal is to phase out all fossil fuel (coal, diesel, natural gas, etc) generated power. The problem is, there are limits to the other technologies. Proper systems include real backup. All power generation methods have their limitations, so why rule any out?

Wind is good when there is wind but not too windy. Windmills need to be locked if the wind exceeds speeds over 55 to 60 mph to avoid damage to equipment and grid overload.

Solar is good when the sun is out, but useless when not.

Hydro is generally considered good but can have environmental concerns including continuous water supply and affects on fish life. Some hydro plants divert water from other locations and uses to stay running.

Fuel powered generation like all fuel powered anything there is the availability of the fuel and the spent byproduct of the fuel. Proper operation means care is taken with all fuel forms including proper supply management and proper byproduct cleaning and disposal.

The big question is why does Illinois seem to be so hell bent on power storage and eliminating all fossil fuel based systems ahead of their time? What science do the have that these battery farms are environmentally friendly when they have catastrophic environmental startup consequences?

Should not efficient power systems be created with American resources for proper power system security? Until electrical storage technology becomes more practical, safe, and truly affordable without government subsidies, emphasis should be placed on upgrading generation capabilities under all conditions. There is also a need to make sure the delivery lines are efficient and up to date.

The CRGA seems to be legislation designed for a specific business type. But Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is known for crony capitalism. Here is just another example.