Energy Storage Gives This Illinois Homeowner a Backup During Power Outages
- Solar Powers Illinois
- Feb 26
- 3 min read
Key Takeaways:
Carol Stream resident Wendy Vernon uses energy storage to guard against power outages during severe weather.
Illinois experiences an average of two mass power outages per year, while billion-dollar weather disasters have increased 700% since the 1980s.
The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) will help Illinois build large-scale energy storage across the state. CRGA’s upcoming Storage for All program will also help homeowners, nonprofits, schools, and businesses more easily afford the technology.
Individual households like the Vernons’ show how battery storage will improve Illinois’ energy reliability as the impacts of climate change stress the grid.
Major power outages are a regular occurrence in Illinois, and all signs point to them being more common in the near future.
However, some Illinois residents, like Carol Stream homeowner Wendy Vernon, have not had to worry about power outages for years.
Wendy and her husband are among a small-but-growing group of homeowners and businesses staying connected during storms with energy storage. Home battery storage systems store electricity generated by solar panels so homeowners can use clean energy during power outages or peak demand periods.
“We don’t have any problems with storms anymore,” Wendy said. “If there’s an outage in our neighborhood, our home’s battery storage installation kicks in almost instantly. We can stay connected for hours with no hassle.”
To find out more about how Illinois residents can avoid power outages, Solar Powers Illinois spoke with Wendy about how her home battery storage system, installed in 2019, has provided backup power during storms.
Climate Change Is Increasing Severe Weather and Power Outages Across Illinois
Over the last decade in Illinois, severe weather has caused about two mass power outages every year – leaving at least 50,000 customers without power during each outage. It’s a costly pattern: Illinois has had nearly 700% more billion-dollar weather disasters per year in the 2020s than in the 1980s, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
Wendy recalls a severe storm in summer 2020 when a derecho swept through the Midwest and knocked out power across multiple states. Initial forecasts predicted the resulting outage in the Vernons’ area could last as long as four days. However, once the sun came out shortly after the storm, the Vernons’ solar and battery systems charged up and got them back online well before power was restored.
“We were disconnected from the grid,” Wendy explained. “But our solar and storage system continued to provide electricity to our home. We prepared for the worst because of the forecast, but we were relieved that our storage system meant the food in our freezer and refrigerators stayed safe, and we could still use computers, browse the internet, watch TV, and turn lights on at night.”
July 2024 brought another test when a severe storm system spawned tornadoes across the region and left about 330,000 Illinois customers without power.
The Vernons’ storage system passed the test. They were not one of the hundreds of thousands of households who lost power during that storm.
“There were just a few flickers of the lights,” Wendy said. “It was reassuring to know we had backup power.”
Wendy is also quick to emphasize storage uses renewable, clean energy, unlike a home generator that uses gas, ensuring storage can be part of the solution to the problems caused by climate change.
“Storage means we don’t have to choose between convenience and climate-consciousness,” Wendy said.
CRGA Aims to Prevent Blackouts In Illinois With Energy Storage
Illinois is one of many parts of the country at high risk of more blackouts in as few as 5 years. Fortunately, Illinois’ elected leaders recently took action to address this issue head-on.
The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in January 2026, was designed with power grid reliability in mind. CRGA aims to build large-scale energy storage facilities throughout Illinois and help homeowners, nonprofits, schools, and businesses more easily afford their own battery storage through a new Illinois Storage for All program.
The Vernons’ success story provides a glimpse into what CRGA and energy storage can do for residents and businesses across Illinois.
“We have seen real and tangible benefits from storage in our home,” Wendy said. “We know CRGA will help protect our neighbors, communities, and economy from dangerous and costly blackouts just like we have been protected.”
