Coal burning power plant
WINNETKA, IL — “Rather than paying $41 per megawatt hour as the Midwestern contracted communities were promised, they will be paying closer to $60. That’s if the communities were to receive 100 percent of their electricity from the plant. While Winnetka is contracted to receive only 25 percent its energy from Prairie State, that contract expires in 2035.
On the other end of the spectrum, Kenilworth recently aggregated its energy, locking in some of the lowest energy rates in the north shore. Residents and small businesses will pay 4.11 cents per kilowatt-hour for 100 percent renewable energy, while Winnetka’s 2012-2013 purchase power rate is 5.47 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Sixty percent of Winnetka’s power is sourced from fossil fuels, while just five percent of the energy is provided by a long-term contract for wind energy generated in Lee and Dekalb counties. While Winnetka is contracted with IMEA, Kenilworth residents are expecting to save around $600 from September through May 2013 by switching from Commonwealth Edison to a greener aggregated energy source.”
— Andy Ambrosius, Winnetka-Glencoe Patch
