CTA trains require a lot of power, but only 11% is currently from renewable sources
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Nearly 500,000 people ride Chicago Transit Authority 'L' trains every day.
"It's very convenient, efficient, cost-effective for sure," said Adrian Vasquez.
The CTA also advertises its 'L' trains as a green way to travel—helping the environment by keeping polluting cars off the roads.
"I think it's much better for the environment, and it's one of the reasons I take the train," said Jan Boudart.
But running the trains takes a lot of power—with the CTA's electric bill totaling $36.2 million last year.
And while the average CTA commuter may not think about it, all that power has to come from somewhere. And it turns out more of the electricity that powers the trains is generated by fossil fuels that warm the climate than by renewable sources like wind or solar power.
Primarily, the CTA's power comes from nuclear power plants—a total of 67%. Another 22% comes from fossil fuels, while only 11% comes from renewable sources.
Power plants that burn fossil fuels like coal and natural gas release heat-trapping particles into the atmosphere—warming the climate. Warmer temperatures are expected to lead to more heat-related deaths in Chicago, worse air quality, and a longer allergy season.
Chicago to buy power from huge downstate solar operation. Why not CTA?
Green energy is growing in Illinois. At Double Black Diamond Solar near Springfield, the largest solar panel installation east of the Mississippi, 1.6 million panels generate electricity capable of powering more than 100,000 homes.
Jared Policicchio, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer at the Chicago Department of the Environment, works to make the City of Chicago more sustainable. His team is purchasing half the power generated by Double Black Diamond Solar to run their buildings.
"The city is going to be achieving a commitment we made all the way back in 2017, which is that our operations would be sourced by 100% clean renewable power by 2025," Policicchio said.
O'Hare and Midway international airports, and two of the largest water treatment plants in the world, will be sourced by 100% solar power starting in January.
"We will be one of the largest cities to meet this commitment," said Policicchio.
But the CTA is independent from Chicago city government.
CBS News Chicago dug through the CTA's 2025 budget, and found that the organization is thinking about installing their own solar panels to be more sustainable. So why not just pull from Double Black Diamond?
On Sept. 20, 2024, CBS News Chicago asked the CTA if it is buying any power from the Double Black Diamond project downstate. On Oct. 9, the CTA responded by saying:
"The electricity that powers CTA's rail system comes from a mix of energy sources, primarily through ComEd. It remains unclear whether the L train system will directly benefit from the Double Black Diamond Solar project but There are discussions around using more renewable energy in the future."
CBS News Chicago asked the CTA for more details, or an on-camera interview, in another email two days later. There was no response.
A month later, CBS News Chicago asked again if the CTA would be purchasing power from Double Black Diamond Solar to help power the trains. The CTA did not answer that question, and declined an on-camera interview.
Expert: CTA ahead of other U.S. mass transit agencies in emissions reductions
CBS News Chicago met up with energy expert Dr. Andrew Stillwell at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for some perspective on the power grid. The first question for Stillwell was how the grid mix that is feeding the 'L' compares to other states with big transport systems.
"Two big ones to look at would be things like the MTA [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] in New York or, say, the BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] in California," Stillwell said. "Both of those states have a good mix of energy, but it is not quite as, I'll say, CO2-free as Illinois' mix."
The CTA's power mix is cleaner from a climate perspective, because Chicago's unique reliance on nuclear power means less planet-warming CO2 from fossil fuels. But nuclear power comes with other risks.
"Nuclear definitely gives you that energy density out of one location, and it's a steady generation source," Stillwell said. "The other camp looks at it and says, OK, one, we do have a certain failure rate? There are some very public failures for nuclear."
Dr. Stillwell said over time, the Illinois power grid will continue to get greener.
"Right now, if you look year over year what's being built in the U.S., the majority of it is renewable energy. It is wind and solar," Stillwell said, "because it is the cheapest electricity to add to the system."
Asked if she would like to see more CTA trains running on completely renewable energy like wind and solar, CTA rider Monica Queseda said: "Of course! Why not?"
The CTA said it is taking other steps to be more sustainable, like installing LED lighting and transitioning to more efficient train cars.
