Chicago to run on 100% renewable energy

On January 3, 2025, Mayor Johnson announced a five-year agreement with Constellation to meet the electricity needs of Chicago’s city-owned buildings with 100% renewable energy. The deal is a culmination of years of work, with the initial agreement being struck by former Mayor Lightfoot in 2022. As of January 1, Chicago becomes one of the largest cities in the U.S. relying on 100% renewable power for electricity. 

This deal will reduce Chicago’s annual carbon emissions by more than 290,000 metric tons, or the equivalent of taking over 67,000 cars off the road, a significant step towards meeting Chicago’s carbon emission reduction goals.  In its 2022 Climate Action Plan, the city set a goal of cutting carbon emissions by 62% by 2040. 

City owned buildings in Chicago consume approximately 800,000 MWh every year. 70% of this energy will come from Swift Current Energy’s new solar installation, Double Black Diamond, in Sangamon and Morgan counties. The 583-MW installation was installed with Chicago’s energy needs in mind and is currently the largest solar installation east of the Mississippi.

The other 30% of Chicago’s electricity needs will come from purchased renewable energy credits. This leaves the door open for energy sources like rooftop solar to be installed on city-owned buildings such as public libraries in the future.