Eighty-nine percent of Naperville’s electricity comes from coal, which means that 89% of NCC’s electricity comes from coal. Naperville purchases its electricity from the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency.
IMEA claims to provide coal-fueled electric power to families and businesses all over the Midwest. However, they also claim to be protecting the environment.
According to Green America, the burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which increases carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat and contribute to global climate change.
“Coal supplies around 33% of the energy used for electricity in the United States, which makes coal-fired power plants a prime target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
In order to better protect the environment, coal cannot continue to power electricity. Instead, cleaner energy sources, such as nuclear or renewable energy, can replace it.
“It is clear that coal is not a sustainable source of energy and we need to transition to cleaner energy sources,” said Anna Halverson, ’20, who is a student worker at the Office of Sustainability and is the president of Green Scene. “Coal produces the most carbon dioxide emissions of the three major non-renewable energy sources— coal, natural gas and nuclear. It produces nearly double the emissions of the second dirtiest source: natural gas.”
What can Naperville do?
Although Naperville is in a contract with IMEA, the city is not choosing the energy source, IMEA is. However, that doesn’t mean that the city can’t do something to stop this. “They need to be more transparent about where our electricity is coming from and provide resources to residents to promote electricity usage reduction,” said Halverson.
While Naperville can’t exactly switch their energy source, they can work with IMEA to transition into using cleaner energy. A switch to nuclear energy, renewable energy or a combination of both would be a more sustainable option than almost strictly coal.
Within the next five to six years, 25% of Naperville’s contract with IMEA will be expiring. This means that the city can replace 25% of the energy that comes from coal with something more environmentally-friendly.
What can NCC do?
“To make this happen, we need to push local officials to demand this from IMEA and connect with the other municipalities and empower them to do the same,” said Juliet Mathey, ’22, who also is a student worker at the Office of Sustainability and is the event coordinator for Green Scene.
Green Scene will be organizing letter-writing events and educational campaigns on campus. Students, staff and faculty can learn more about this issue and write to representatives to voice their concerns and demands.
“As residents of Naperville and users of Naperville electricity, we can let our representatives know that we need them to advocate for the IMEA to transition to cleaner energy sources,” said Halverson.
If anyone is interested in being a part of this change and standing up to make a difference in their community, feel free to contact Halverson for more information.
“A huge step students can take is to become aware of this issue and inform others,” said Mathey. “This information is not widely known, so by spreading awareness, we can empower each other to push for change.”
