Chicago has reached a big milestone by using renewable energy for all 411 city-owned buildings. This was made possible through a deal with Constellation Energy, which supplies power from the 593-megawatt Double Black Diamond solar farm in Illinois.
The solar energy now covers 70% of the city’s municipal electricity needs and helps cut carbon emissions by 290,000 metric tons each year.
Some critics note that 30% of the emissions cuts come from funding renewable projects rather than directly using renewable energy. However, city officials, like Chief Sustainability Officer Angela Tovar, plan to add more sustainable solutions, such as rooftop solar, to address this.
Chicago’s next goal is to run all buildings in the city on renewable energy by 2035.
