Mayor Brandon Johnson Announces 100% Renewable Energy Milestone for City of Chicago
As of January 1, 2025, all City-owned buildings–including O’Hare Airport, Midway Airport and Harold Washington Library–are now 100% sourced by renewable energy. With this step, Chicago becomes one of the largest cities in the U.S. sourcing the power for its operations with renewable energy. Read the full press release below.
CHICAGO – Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Department of Environment (DOE), and the Department of Fleet and Facility Management (2FM) today announced that the City has achieved its goal of transitioning all City facilities and operations to 100% renewable energy. With this step, Chicago becomes one of the largest cities in the U.S. sourcing the power for its operations with renewable energy.
This milestone was officially reached on January 1, 2025, following several years of collaboration between the City, nonprofit partner Elevate, retail electricity supplier Constellation, and Swift Current Energy. The project fulfills a long-term advocacy campaign, Ready for 100, led by Sierra Club and local community organizations, to encourage the City to make the transition to renewable energy.
The combined efforts of these groups led to an energy supply agreement and community benefits agreement that enrich the people and environment of Chicago and Illinois. As part of the City’s energy supply agreement with Constellation, 70% of Chicago’s renewable energy will come from Double Black Diamond, a new, 593-megawatt solar generation installation developed by Swift Current Energy in downstate Sangamon and Morgan counties. The remaining 30% will come from purchased renewable energy credits.
“Chicago is committed to taking bold steps as the world faces climate crises,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “With this transition to renewable energy, we are achieving a goal that the City has been working towards for years and fulfilling a promise to Chicagoans via the creation of clean jobs and meaningful progress toward a sustainable future.”
With an annual energy use of approximately 800,000 megawatt hours, the City of Chicago is poised to take a significant step towards its emissions reduction goals by transitioning to renewable energy.
The transition is expected to cut Chicago’s carbon emissions by 290,000 metric tons per year, the equivalent of removing 62,000 cars from the road; this brings the city closer to the goal of a 62% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 through direct investment and action by the City of Chicago, as outlined in the 2022 Chicago Climate Action Plan.
"From both an environmental and equity perspective, this is a major achievement for the City,” said Angela Tovar, Chicago’s Chief Sustainability Officer and DOE Commissioner. “As one of the nation’s largest cities, we have a responsibility to lead through climate action that benefits the people and the planet. By moving to renewable energy for City operations, we’re moving closer to our goal of making all energy consumed in Chicago renewable by 2035, and ultimately to a more sustainable future for all.”
The transition also supports job creation and new economic opportunities for residents of Chicago and Illinois.
Working with Elevate, the City prioritized community benefits as part of this project, which has led to opportunities to work on Double Black Diamond’s construction as well as new training opportunities for Chicago Women in Trades, an organization that provides free job training in construction and welding to women.
As a result, the City became one of the first public customers to receive the Clean and Equitable Jobs (CEJA) self-direct credit, earned by complying with CEJA’s labor and equity provisions. As the City continues to push forward renewable energy initiatives, there will be a continued emphasis on jobs, training and career opportunities for Chicago residents.
“Making Chicago greener and more livable is a process that requires collaboration and a shared vision,” said Julie Hernandez-Tomlin, 2FM Commissioner. “We are proud to have collaborated with Mayor Johnson, DOE, other City departments and our partners Constellation, Swift Current Energy, and Elevate to make City facilities renewable, and we look forward to continuing to work together to support energy efficiency and greener operations.”
“We are proud to have supported the City of Chicago in accomplishing this feat,” said Delmar Gillus, Chief Operating Officer at Elevate. “Moments like this demonstrate the incredible impact we can achieve when government and community partners work side-by-side to drive equitable climate action forward. We hope this inspires other cities to reach access to renewable energy for all.”
For more information about Chicago’s renewable energy initiatives as they progress, visit chicago.gov/chi100.
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