SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois House Democrats passed a massive clean energy bill Wednesday night.

The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act could help Illinois build 3 gigawatts of utility scale battery storage, covering roughly 9% of the state's peak energy use.

This plan would also bring more wind and solar projects online, invest in geothermal technology, lift the state's nuclear construction moratorium and help state agencies better plan for energy demand spikes.

Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) said it will also create a virtual power plant program.

"We'll incentivize an estimated 1.8 gigawatts for these virtual powerplants, which is energy storage, demand response, and other technology at homes and businesses," Hoffman said. "This will be about 5% of our peak load."

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