Ameren announces lower electric rates
According to officials of the utility, the typical Ameren residential customer using 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year will save about $100, or 8 percent, on the price of electricity.
Ameren officials attributed the reduction to a decline in the wholesale cost of electricity due to reduced demand.
However, officials of the Citizens Utility Board say the drop in electric rates announced by Ameren and previously by ComEd was also due to a new power-purchasing system.
Through the Illinois Power Agency, power generators submit sealed bids to sell power in the state. Through the agency, a price for power is negotiated.
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How the dirtiest power station in western Europe switched to renewable energy
LONDON - A power station that used to be the biggest polluter in western Europe has made a near-complete switch to renewable energy.
The Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, England, used to spew out millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year by burning coal. But over the past eight years, it has overhauled its operations by converting four of its six coal-fired units to biomass. The plant's owners say it now generates 15% of the country's renewable power.
The change means that just 6% of the utility's power now comes from coal. The ultimate goal is to stop using coal altogether.
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