The Illinois Power Agency (IPA) has announced the Phase I launch of its Illinois Clean Energy Dashboard website.
The Clean Energy Dashboard, which was developed by IPA staff, is designed to track the progress and impact of renewable energy development across Illinois. IPA staff noted that the dashboard also serves as an educational tool for stakeholders and policymakers to quickly answer common questions about the growth of renewable energy in Illinois.
The dashboard features numerous charts and graphs to help users visually understand the state’s evolution in electricity generation – from traditional to renewable energy – compared to its Midwest counterparts.
Additionally, IPA said the dashboard offers visitors a view of the overall growth of renewable energy in Illinois with a focus on equity, bolstering public understanding of how the IPA’s renewable energy programs and procurements support that growth. The dashboard also highlights how state policies and legislation, including the Future Energy Jobs Act in 2017 and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021, have played a role in ramping up renewable energy development in the state.
“The IPA’s Clean Energy Dashboard is the product of well over one year of work corralling numerous different data sets and transforming that data into visualizations to provide a consolidated, in-depth, visualized overview of the growth of the Illinois clean energy economy,” said IPA Director Brian Granahan. “IPA staff is commonly asked basic questions about how many new renewable energy projects have come online or how our progress in Illinois compares to progress in other states, and I’m very proud of our team’s efforts in developing the Clean Energy Dashboard as a helpful resource.”
IPA highlighted key features of Phase 1 of the dashboard, including:
- Static visualizations demonstrating progress and growth across seven different categories of data and information: Electricity Generation Mix, Midwest Solar and Wind Capacity, IPA Initiatives, IPA-Supported Competitive Procurements, Illinois Shines, Illinois Solar for All, and Equity;
- Dedicated webpage where IPA datasets used in the visualizations are available in .xlsx format for download and export;
- Frequently asked questions and answers about the dashboard website; and
- Data Glossary, which includes a collection of terms and definitions used in datasets and visualizations Updates to the Dashboard website will be made monthly.
IPA also noted that Phase II of the Illinois Clean Energy Dashboard will include dynamic dashboards, accessible on desktop and mobile devices and is set for a 2025 rollout.
