Illinois’ clean energy economy is clearly thriving.
But where is all this economic activity happening?
That’s exactly what E2 — along with our partners at FracTracker Alliance — attempted to find out with this interactive map showing the location of more than 1,000 clean energy businesses across the state as well as sites where renewable energy is generated.
The purpose of this map is to help policymakers, press and individuals better understand the scope of Illinois’s clean energy economy – and how much room it has to grow.
On the map you’ll find:
- Clean energy businesses: Locations of energy efficiency and solar, wind and geothermal installers.
- Renewable energy infrastructure: Existing and proposed utility-scale wind, solar and hydroelectric generation facilities larger than 1 MW as well as schools with solar energy generation and public EV fueling stations.
- Income per capita and legislative and congressional district boundaries.
Key Takeaways from the Map:
- There are nearly 1,000 businesses displayed in the map, which includes energy efficiency contractors and renewable energy (solar, wind and geothermal) installers, covering the vast majority of the state.
- Half the state already has utility-scale renewable energy projects, with many utility-scale projects in the queue waiting to be built.
We’ve done our best to capture as many businesses as possible but we know we’ve missed some. This map isn’t comprehensive; it represents one snapshot in time of an industry to show how robust it is. If you know we’ve missed something, please send an email to Micaela Preskill at [email protected] and we’ll add it to the map.
How to Use the Map:
When viewing the map, zoom in to see the intricacies of what’s happening in each part of the state. If you click “Layers” on the black bar at the top of the map you will see a drop-down menu, which you can use to make data appear or disappear on the map.
For more information about what you’re seeing, click directly on the map. A pop-up box will appear to show you specifics. Use the arrows on the top right of the pop-up box to see all the information that applies to that spot on the map. For example, if you click on a pin representing a energy efficiency contractor, you’ll see information about that business. You can also use the arrow to see what legislative districts that business is in.
The Map
Other Resources:
Illinois supports 119,395 clean energy jobs – 2017 Clean Jobs Midwest Report
Over 3 million Americans work in clean energy – Clean Jobs America