Energy experts in Illinois are kicking off an 18-month study about how to produce and harness the next generation of energy in the state.
The NextGrid project begins Thursday. The Illinois Commerce Commission is managing the study, and George Gross, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is one of the panel facilitators.
Gross says a big part of NextGrid's mission is to find ways stop wasting excess energy produced by solar panels and wind farms.
"But rather to store that energy so later on they can displace polluting resources."
Gross adds that they hope to give the Illinois Commerce Commission concrete proposals to create clean, effective and efficient power.
The NextGrid project will include experts from a variety of energy policy, research and consumer groups.