Five years after Governor JB Pritzker signed into law the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, Illinois is showing evidence of how real the green energy economy can be.
You can even find it near the green ivy at the legendary Wrigley Field on Chicago’s North Side, where the Chicago Cubs and Invenergy in June announced an agreement making the Chicago-based global developer, owner and operator of clean energy solutions the “Official Solar Provider” of the Cubs and Wrigley Field.
You can find it in places like Bolingbrook, the Chicago suburb where Invenergy the very next month broke ground on its $30 million, 135,000-sq.-ft. Center of Excellence, a clean energy training and manufacturing facility.
Invenergy and its affiliated companies around the world have successfully developed more than 31,000 megawatts of projects that are in operation, construction or contracted, including wind, solar, transmission infrastructure and natural gas power generation and advanced energy storage projects. The company said the project builds on its 20-year history of investments in its home state of Illinois, including the current expansion of its Chicago headquarters at One South Wacker in downtown Chicago.
The HQ expansion announced in October 2023 was the largest expansion of the year in Chicago’s Loop. Invenergy says it has added over 1,300 new employees in the United States and around the world over the past five years.
Asked for insights into the growth of the company, Invenergy Executive Vice President and Operating Business Leader Steve Dowdy said, “The current expansion of our headquarters and buildout of the new COE will equip the growing workforce of the future with the resources necessary to accelerate a cleaner, more reliable grid. The COE is Invenergy’s latest investment in the workforce of the future and reinforces our leadership in meeting the growing demand for clean energy.”
Invenergy’s projects include wind power, solar power testing and energy storage at the 34,000-acre, 266-megawatt Grand Ridge Energy Center, in operation since 2008 in La Salle, Illinois, halfway between Chicago and Peoria.
Photos courtesy of Invenergy
Noting that the new project is about 30 miles from Invenergy’s Loop headquarters, Dowdy said, “The COE continues Invenergy’s commitment to our home state, elevating Chicagoland as the tip of the spear for energy infrastructure investment and innovation. In addition to its proximity to our home office, Bolingbrook provides access to key transportation infrastructure and a skilled workforce making the village an ideal place for new economic development and one of the best places to live for families in the country.”
“About 30 miles from our headquarters, the Center of Excellence continues Invenergy’s commitment to our home state, elevating Chicagoland as the tip of the spear for energy infrastructure investment and innovation.”
— Steve Dowdy, Executive Vice President and Operating Business Leader, Invenergy
The company is not alone among growing clean energy firms choosing Chicago. In January 2024, national community solar provider Nexamp announced Chicago would be its second national headquarters, where the company anticipates adding 50 more team members over the next two years. The expansion is part of more than $2 billion in planned investments in Illinois. The company also has launched a new fellowship program in partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago that is designed to create opportunities for underserved or underrepresented populations to gain exposure to career opportunities in the renewable energy field.
“We began our work in Illinois in 2018 in response to the Future Energy Jobs Act, which created the state’s first community solar program and sought to accelerate Illinois’ decarbonization efforts,” said Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai. “Thanks to Governor Pritzker’s leadership in securing the passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021, Illinois is our fastest growing market. But the state is far more than just an attractive market for solar generation—for Nexamp, it’s a state which shares our vision of a cleaner, more equitable energy future powered by a diverse, equitable and skilled workforce. As we sought a location for a second headquarters, Illinois was the natural choice because of our mutual interest in seeing clean energy work for — and do right by — everyone.”
Busy October
The same October 2023 that saw Invenergy’s HQ expansion also saw the unveiling of the Chicagoland Climate Investment Alliance, whose coalition includes Invenergy among other prominent organizations and elected officials. And the month saw the announcement that the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) to develop a Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (H2Hub). The federal hydrogen hubs program is investing $7 billion in seven hubs. MachH2 anticipates creating 13,600 direct jobs — 12,100 in construction and 1,500 permanent jobs.
Comprising more than 70 public and private entities representing every phase in the hydrogen value chain across Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, MachH2 aims to “enable decarbonization through strategic hydrogen uses including steel and glass production, power generation, refining, heavy-duty transportation and sustainable aviation fuel.”
Among Illinois companies in that sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) segment is Chicago-based LanzaJet, which recently has received a $20 million investment from Groupe ADP and opened its first commercial-scale ethanol-to-SAF plant. The ADP stake adds to investments from the likes of Shell, Southwest Airlines, Mitsui & Co. and British Airways.
In 2023, the Invest in Illinois Act signed by Gov. Pritzker included a $1.50-per-gallon purchase credit for SAF sold to or used by an aircraft in Illinois until January 1, 2033. Now the MachH2 hub is ready to take it to the next level.
“I couldn’t be prouder that once again, Illinois and the Midwest will be leading the way in equity-conscious clean energy development through the construction of a major hydrogen production and distribution hub,” said Governor Pritzker. “When I signed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2019, it was with this sort of collaborative, economically sound manufacturing and expansion in mind, and we are seeing the results of those efforts play out every day.”
