Energy Diversity

Definition

Percent of electricity supplied by renewable sources

Why is it Important?

Renewable energy is a sustainable solution for society’s energy needs. Renewable energy increases energy security, improves air quality by reducing pollution, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy also promotes growth in the local economy, because renewable energy production requires jobs that can’t be outsourced. Sources of renewable energy include hydropower, wind, landfill gas, and solar. Solar energy includes solar purchased by utility companies from customers as well as solar energy credits purchased from third party brokers.

The states of Missouri and Illinois have renewable energy standards for investor owned utilities. In Illinois, legislation enacted in 2007 requires 25 percent of electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2026, with 75 percent of that amount from wind and 6 percent from solar. In 2021, Illinois built on the goals set in 2007 by setting additional renewable energy goals of 40 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040. Missouri’s Prop C, passed by voters in 2008, requires utility companies to generate 15 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2021, with 2 percent of that amount from solar. In Illinois, the 2021 renewable energy standard requires that 19 percent of energy sales come from renewable sources. The requirement will increase by 1.5 percent annually until 2026 and then by 3 percent annually until 2030.

How are we Doing?

In the St. Louis region approximately 15.9 percent of electricity was generated from renewable sources in 2021, an increase over the baseline year (2010) percentage of 3.3 percent.¹  The increase in renewable energy sourcing corresponds to the increasing renewable energy standards set by the states of Missouri and Illinois.

In 2021, Ameren Illinois sourced 13 percent of its total electricity from wind power and another 2 percent from hydropower. In Missouri, Ameren produces most of the renewable energy required to meet the state renewable energy standards. However, the agency purchases renewable energy credits from third parties to meet the full requirement. In 2021, around 20 percent of Ameren Missouri’s renewable energy came from credits generated by a hydroelectric plant in Keokuk, Iowa, and 41 percent came from credits generated by wind farms in Iowa and Missouri. Around 3 percent of its renewable energy credits come from landfill gas captured in Maryland Heights, and another 2 percent comes from various sources of solar power, including the solar facility in O’Fallon. Since 2019, third-party brokers have supplied a large share of renewable energy credits. In 2021, non-solar third-party credits accounted for 31 percent of the renewable energy credits used by Ameren, about 46 percentage points less than in 2019 and about 3 percentage points less than in 2020.  

To meet energy demands, Ameren uses energy procured from outside sources, and it uses energy generated through facilities that Ameren operates itself. Ameren operates 27 unique energy centers throughout Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Around 50 percent of the energy capacity generated from these centers comes from coal, with another 30 percent coming from oil and natural gas. In 2021, around 4 percent of Ameren Missouri’s energy production capacity came from renewable sources, which equates to nearly 400 megawatts of energy. In September of 2017, Ameren announced plans to add 700 megawatts of wind energy to its operations by 2020 and 100 megawatts of solar energy by 2027. Ameren’s announcement also included plans to retire several coal facilities, including the Meramec facility in south St. Louis County.²

Geographic Level

St. Louis eight-county bi-state region, including Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. Louis counties and the city of St. Louis in Missouri and Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties in Illinois. View map.

Notes

¹The percent of electricity supplied by renewable sources is calculated using an average of the Missouri and Illinois renewable energy requirements weighted by population. 

²Ameren. Press Release: Ameren Plans Major Expansion of Wind, Solar Generation to Serve Customers. 25 September 2017; Accessed on February 5, 2018 at http://ameren.mediaroom.com/2017-09-25-Ameren-Missouri-Plans-Major-Expansion-of-Wind-Solar-Generation-to-Serve-Customers

 

Data Sources

Ameren Corporation