All Chicago City Buildings Now Run on Renewable Energy 

Chicago skyline – Photo by Max Bender on UnsplashIn a laudable civic accomplishment, all 411 buildings owned and operated by the City of Chicago now either run on renewable energy or offset their emissions through financing renewables across the country.The news helped ring in the new year and marks three years since the city signed a major agreement to receive solar power from the largest solar farm east of the Mississippi.Former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot signed an agreement to buy power from Constellation, an electricity supplier, in 2022.Constellation Energy now furnishes the supply from the 593-megawatt Double Black Diamond solar farm in Sangamon and Morgan counties, about 30 miles from Springfield, which has been under construction since the same year.Owned and developed by Swift Current Energy, the farm will deliver about 70% of the municipal buildings’ total electricity needs.“Every Chicagoan interacts with a city-owned building, whether the cultural center, City Hall, Harold Washington Library, O’Hare and Midway (international airports) or your local library. To be able to achieve this milestone on behalf of city residents is exciting,” Angela Tovar, chief sustainability officer for Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune.The move will reduce the city’s carbon emissions by around 290,000 metric tons—or around the same effect as taking 62,000 vehicles off the roads, according to Grist.org.LOOKING BACK BRIGHTLY: Renewable Electricity Generation Overtakes Fossil Fuels in UK for First Time Ever in a Calendar YearHowever, since 30% of the emissions totals are accounted for by financing for renewable energy rather than renewable energy itself, the move has attracted criticism.Tovar explained the financing allows time for the city to explore alternative sustainable methods to eventually remove that remaining 30%, such as rooftop solar.MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: New York Hits Solar Energy Goals a Year Ahead of Schedule Adding Enough to Power a Million HomesWith the Double Black Diamond farm beginning to power the city this year, authorities have reportedly set a new goal of powering all buildings in the city limits with renewable energy by 2035, an ambitious goal that would make it the largest city in America to do so.SHARE This Positive New Year’s News With Your Friends…