Giorgia Burzachechi Chicago has embarked on an ambitious plan to power all of its facilities with renewable energy by 2035, thanks to a deal with Constellation and Swift Current Energy. The city will reduce its carbon footprint by more than 290,000 metric tons annually, primarily through the Double Black Diamond solar farm.
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One of the largest metropolises in the United States is ringing in the new year with a strong commitment to decarbonization.
More than 425 facilities are owned by the city – a range of property that encompasses from City Hall to one of the world’s busiest airport has been striving to make steps as a facilitator for avoiding calamitous climate change. “It is an essential move that ensures the security of a sustainable future for Chicago”, Sandra Blakemore – Interim Commissioner for AIS exclaimed in 2022.
The 2022 Chicago Climate Action Plan
The initiative began in September 2020 when then-Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot launched a competitive bidding process through AIS. The goal was to reduce the carbon footprint of Chicago and accelerate the transition of the city toward clean and renewable energy, as outlined in the 2022 Chicago Climate Action Plan (CAP).
Through its investments and municipal activities, the CAP is calling to cut greenhouse gas emissions 62 percent by 2040. Using solar to power Chicago’s operations, carbon pollution would be reduced by over 320,000 tons per year—equivalent to taking approximately 62,000 passenger vehicles off the road, per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
This ambitious project was made possible by a partnership with Constellation, an electricity supplier, along with Swift Current Energy, a Massachusetts-based renewable energy company. The Double Black Diamond Solar Farm from Swift Current Energy will supply around 70% of the electricity required for municipal operations, with the goal of powering all city-owned buildings with renewable energy by 2035. If achieved, Chicago would be the largest U.S. city to reach such a target.
Key terms of the contract
The City signed an initial five-year energy supply agreement with Constellation beginning in January 2023. Due to the partnership starting in 2025, major facilities such as airports, Harold Washington Library Center, and Jardine Water Purification Plant, among many others, will be powered with clean, renewable energy produced by a new solar generation facility built by Swift Current Energy in Illinois’ Sangamon and Morgan Counties.
For smaller and medium-sized buildings and street lighting, Chicago is purchasing RECs from elsewhere. Located in downstate Illinois, this is one of the largest Solar Farms in the state-Double Black Diamond Solar Farm, featuring a capacity for 593 megawatts. It is both managed and operated by Swift Current Energy, much like the Wind Farms. Thus, it gives renewable energy not only to City operations but to other big groups within the State.
Criticism
Yet even with those gains, U.S. media have reported that some 30% of reductions are achieved by financing renewable energy projects around the country. Critics say that is not actual local emissions reduction.
Angela Tovar, Chief Sustainability Officer for Chicago, defended the plan: “This financing allows the city to explore other sustainable avenues and expand its reach.”
Source: Swift Current Energy
