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ALL MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS IN CHICAGO NOW POWERED BY RENEWABLE ENERGY

About 700,000 megawatt hours of electricity are used annually to power the 411 municipal buildings in Chicago. However, a significant turning point in the city's efforts to become more sustainable was marked at the start of 2025. All city-owned and operated buildings, including O'Hare International Airport, Harold Washington Library, 98 fire stations, and two of the biggest water treatment facilities in the world, are now officially powered entirely by renewable energy as of 1 January.

According to city officials, this switch to renewable energy will reduce Chicago's carbon emissions by 290,000 metric tons annually, which is the same as taking 62,000 cars off the road. With this remarkable accomplishment, Chicago is now among the biggest cities in the United States to source its operations' electricity from carbon-free, renewable sources. It has also taken almost ten years to achieve this accomplishment.

Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel first suggested the initiative in 2017, and his successor, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, reached an agreement with Constellation, the city's electricity provider, in 2022. The agreement stated that starting in 2025, the city would buy its energy from the developer Swift Current Energy.

Soon after, the developer started building the enormous solar farm in central Illinois called Double Black Diamond. At 3,800 acres and 593 megawatts, Double Black Diamond is currently the biggest solar installation east of the Mississippi River. The farm will now provide 70% of Chicago's renewable energy, with the remaining 30% coming from renewable energy credits that were purchased.

As Chicago's deputy chief sustainability officer, Jared Policicchio told Grist, "That's really a feature and not a bug of our plan." "We want to get to the point where we aren't purchasing renewable energy credits in the coming years."

The move brings Chicago one step closer to its 2040 target of a 62% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through direct investment and action by the City of Chicago, according to city officials.

"This is a significant accomplishment for the City from an equity and environmental standpoint," says Angela Tovar, the DOE commissioner and chief sustainability officer for Chicago. "As one of the biggest cities in the country, it is our duty to set the example for climate action that benefits both people and the environment."

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