What If Chicago Started to "Think Different" About Electricity?

The way I look at it, I'm the perfect person to have an opinion on the important role of Chicago in shaping the discourse on future electrical energy generation choices in the Midwest.

Illinois has a complicated relationship with coal, and I have a complicated relationship with coal. (See "I was an anthracite miner . . . . " on Scarry Thoughts.)

Illinois has an even more complicated relationship with nuclear energy -- if such a thing is possible -- and I also have a complicated relationship with nuclear energy. (See "Chicago, IL: Zero Carbon AND Zero Nuclear!".)

Location of Illinois Basin

I'll get into all the fascinating details of both of those coincidences in future posts, but the main points are these:

(1) Illinois sits atop one of the richest fields of coal in the world. Unfortunately, what we now know about the climate crisis and the need to move to a zero-carbon economy needs we need to leave it in the ground. (Sorry.) And this is true notwithstanding a barrage of industry re-branding about "Clean Coal!"

(2) Illinois also has the largest number of nuclear power plants. As Fukushima disaster has shown us, the risks associated with nuclear power simply can't be swept under the carpet. (Sorry.) And this is true notwithstanding a barrage of industry re-branding suggesting that nuclear is the solution to obtaining zero-carbon energy.

(Luckily, there is a long-standing alliance of activists, such as Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS), getting the truth about nuclear power plants in Illinois out there.)

Fowler Ridge Wind Energy Facility, Benton County, Indiana

It's not immediately obvious how Chicago and Illinois can move quickly to get electricity in a zero-carbon manner.  But here are a few initial thoughts . . .

(1) There are good options. (Believe it or not, we actually have wind and sun here.)

(2) We'll have to be disciplined about not getting distracted by bad options. (Carbon sequestration? Uh, I don't think so. And don't even get me started about natural gas and fracking.)

(3) It's not just about us; it's about the grid we're part of.

(4) It's not just about average electricity output; peak output (driven in turn by hence peak demand) is key.

(5) Chicago can play a role by leading with innovative pricing and valuation mechanisms.

(6) Um . . . would it help if we turned out some of the lights?

More on all of this in future posts that will drill down on specific issues.

Chicago skyline - Earth Hour 2013

Related posts

Granddaddy Melker probably would have been proud to have mined any kind of coal. But he was especially proud to have been an anthracite coal miner.

(See "I was an anthracite miner . . . . " on Scarry Thoughts.)

According to the Chicago-based Nuclear Energy Information Service, "Illinois is by far the most nuclear state in the United States . . . . Illinois was also home to the first commercial power reactor . . . one of the first commercial power reactors to close prematurely . . . . ComEd’s two large PWR reactors in Zion, IL also had to close prematurely . . . . We also have the first and only commercial storage facility for high level waste . . . Besides the 3 plants which closed prematurely, Illinois currently has eleven operating nukes – far more than any other state . . . etc. etc."

(See Chicago, IL: Zero Carbon AND Zero Nuclear! )

Climate: Where are Chicago's Churches?

The church I attend - St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Logan Square - has for several years now focused on environmental issues during September.

There is a movement in many congregations to recognize September as the Season of Creation, and to use it as a time to delve deeply into environmental issues.

Sadao Watanabe, Noah's Ark

I picked up a resource guide from Sojourners -- Holy Ground: A Resource on Faith and the Environment -- during a recent visit to 8th Day Center for Justice. It encouraged me to hope that more and more congregations will take this up.

In this day in which congregations are looking for more and more lay leadership, perhaps this is an opportunity for lay leaders at congregations throughout Chicago to encourage a focus on Creation in September, and to move their congregations toward greater activism on the environment?

Coincidentally, September is a time when a major climate mobilization is planned by secular organizations like 350.org. Maybe it's time for us to all get on the same page?

One of the fundamental ideas of this blog is that climate action goes beyond technology and politics -- it requires us to look deeply into what we value, what our community is, and how we are called to live.

More resources for Season of Creation are at Let All Creation Praise

Related posts

During the Season of Creation 2014 we looked at the witness of a modern-day prophet: the scientist and best-selling author Rachel Carson. Rachel Carson shook the world with the publication of her 1962 book, Silent Spring. In language that rivals that of any Old Testament prophet, Carson issued an eerie wake-up call . . . .

(See Rachel Carson: A Gentle, Strong, Prophetic Voice for the Environment on The Messenger, the blog of St. Luke's Lutheran Church Logan Square)

In September, 2012, we had a very rich observance of the "Season of Creation,” leading up to a screening and discussion of the film “Gasland,” about fracking. Around the same time, several of us started work on a Climate Crisis Conference, which culminated in an event in which about 100 people from Chicago and the surrounding area participated.

(See The Environment: a Big Topic of Conversation at St. Luke’s on The Messenger, the blog of St. Luke's Lutheran Church Logan Square)


Other related links

April 8-12, 2015 in Chicago: "Fragile World: Ecology & the Church -- Free & open to the public as well as all DePaul faculty, staff, and students, the 7th annual World Catholicism Week will be held April 8-12, 2015, in Chicago at DePaul University's Lincoln Park Campus. The theme is "Fragile World: Ecology & the Church," in anticipation of Pope Francis's forthcoming encyclical on the environment."

One Word: Wildflowers

This content has been moved to: "The Beauty of Chicago Wildflowers" at Scarry Thoughts.

The Human Scale in Chicago

This content has been moved to: "Take a Walk in Chicago" at Scarry Thoughts.