On August 8, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that all public buildings in Chicago will be powered by renewable energy.
Chicago Mayor and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday that the city has reached an agreement with Chicago utility United Energy Corp. and Massachusetts-based renewable energy developer Torrent Energy. The duo spoke at a Chicago City League press conference. Once the deal goes into effect, Chicago will become one of the largest cities in the world to commit to 100 percent renewable energy.
“I am proud to advance this commitment to have all city operations powered by 100 percent renewable energy by 2025,” Lightfoot said. “The signing of this agreement demonstrates that Chicago is leading by example in advancing a high-impact climate. Take action to build a future clean energy workforce and fairly distribute meaningful benefits to promote the development of the local clean energy economy.”
climate action plan
Construction of projects related to the plan will start by the end of the year. Lightfoot touted the project's potential to create jobs and reduce the city's carbon footprint. "The 2022 Climate Action Plan deepens Chicago's long-term commitment to climate action and sets us a goal of achieving a 62 percent reduction in Chicago's emissions by 2040," he said.
The mayor's office said the city's agreement with Allied Energy will support the purchase of renewable energy for all city facilities and operations through 2025. An initial five-year energy supply agreement is expected to come into force in January 2023.
"The clean energy solutions we're delivering now will help the city of Chicago grow," said Jim McHugh, United Energy's chief commercial officer.
Large scale solar farm project
Lightfoot's office said the agreement will also provide renewable energy for all large organizations in Illinois. In 2025, the city will use solar renewable energy to partially power large facilities such as the city's airport and other buildings. The renewable energy will be generated from the Torrent Energy Solar Farm (593 MW Double Black Diamond Project) located in Sangamon and Morgan counties in southern Illinois.
The construction and operation of the solar farm, which is expected to create hundreds of jobs, will be one of the largest solar projects in the state to date, the groups said Monday.
“We are thrilled that Chicago will be a valued customer for the Double Black Diamond project,” Matt Busby, co-founder and president of Torrent Energy, said in a statement. The benefits are enormous, and we applaud Chicago for its leadership in ensuring that all city buildings and operations run on clean, renewable energy, and Sangamon and Morgan counties for hosting this project."
"The Double Black Diamond project puts Sangamon County at the forefront of clean solar energy," Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meet said in a statement. “We are delighted to be in charge of this ambitious infrastructure project, which will create meaningful and long-term benefits for our entire region and country. The package will employ hundreds of construction workers and directly generate long-term, high-paying jobs. It It will also create an important and lasting source of revenue for our schools and communities.
The city will also purchase renewable energy credits from elsewhere for surplus electricity use, which could include powering small and medium-sized buildings and street lights, the mayor's office said.