Cambridge, Massachusetts, has signed the largest-ever digital energy buy settlement (VPPA) by a US metropolis to assist construct a utility-scale photo voltaic farm in Illinois.
The 135 megawatt (MW) mission on 800 acres in Champaign County, known as Prairie Photo voltaic, will add clear vitality to the grid, and Cambridge will earn renewable vitality certificates (RECs) for making it potential.
These credit will profit residents and companies enrolled in Cambridge’s Neighborhood Electrical energy Program, which already affords secure and aggressive electrical energy charges. This marks Cambridge’s second main renewable vitality deal, following final 12 months’s VPPA for a wind farm in North Dakota. Collectively, these initiatives are accelerating the town’s efforts to chop carbon emissions extra successfully than ready for the Massachusetts grid to go absolutely renewable by 2050.
Dennis Carlberg, chief sustainability officer at Boston College, stated, “For the reason that New England Grid is likely one of the cleanest within the nation, and these initiatives are in grids slower to transition, they need to cut back almost twice the worldwide greenhouse gasoline emissions than if the identical initiatives have been positioned within the greening New England grid. That is really exceptional work that I hope others will replicate.”
Why photo voltaic in Illinois?
The Prairie Photo voltaic mission, anticipated to come back on-line in summer season 2026, will likely be constructed close to a former coal mine. Illinois residents will profit from new jobs, native funding, and improved air high quality on high of the clear electrical energy the mission will generate.
Julie Wormser, Cambridge’s chief local weather officer, put it this fashion: “Stopping carbon emissions in Cambridge or Illinois has the very same influence on the worldwide local weather. It would enable us to make a much bigger distinction extra rapidly and cheaply than, say, pursuing smaller rooftop photo voltaic inside metropolis limits whereas offering native advantages to individuals in Illinois.”
This strategy additionally helps Cambridge attain its sustainability targets with out being restricted by its small dimension and dense city footprint. With 120,000 individuals in simply 6.5 sq. miles, there isn’t sufficient house for the town to generate all its personal energy domestically. That’s the place methods like VPPAs come into play.
Ellen Katz from Cambridge’s Division of Public Works defined the logic: “Renewable initiatives, like this VPPA, take advantage of distinction as a result of they change extra carbon-intensive gasoline sources, like coal, in comparison with Massachusetts, the place many of the electrical energy is fueled by pure gasoline.”
How Cambridge’s VPPA works
Cambridge’s 50 MW digital energy buy settlement doesn’t ship electrical energy on to the town. As an alternative, it commits to buying renewable vitality certificates from the mission, which helps the developer safe financing to construct the photo voltaic farm. The Prairie Photo voltaic mission will likely be owned and operated by renewable firm MN8 Vitality, whereas Sustainability Roundtable Inc. facilitated the deal by their Internet Zero Consortium for Consumers.
When Prairie Photo voltaic comes on-line, greater than half (55%) of the facility within the Customary Inexperienced possibility in Cambridge’s Neighborhood Electrical energy Program will come from renewable vitality. Residents can already decide to purchase 100% renewable energy at a barely greater price.
Cambridge’s clear vitality technique
Cambridge isn’t stopping at VPPAs. Town continues to spend money on its personal yard with energy-efficient buildings, geothermal programs, and photo voltaic installations. Native packages are additionally serving to residents and companies section out fossil gasoline use.
Town has dedicated to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and a giant chunk of its carbon air pollution comes from buildings and transportation. Whereas the Massachusetts grid is on observe to be 100% renewable by 2050, Cambridge is dashing up the transition by supporting new photo voltaic and wind initiatives the place they’re wanted most.
Cambridge Metropolis Supervisor Yi-An Huang summed up: “We’re rising the quantity of renewable vitality getting constructed – whether or not it’s right here in Cambridge or different elements of the nation.”
What do you concentrate on Cambridge’s huge VPPA? Tell us within the feedback under.
Learn extra: Wisconsin’s strongest photo voltaic farm simply received the go-ahead
To restrict energy outages and make your property extra resilient, think about going photo voltaic with a battery storage system. So as to discover a trusted, dependable photo voltaic installer close to you that provides aggressive pricing, try EnergySage, a free service that makes it straightforward so that you can go photo voltaic. They’ve a whole lot of pre-vetted photo voltaic installers competing for what you are promoting, making certain you get high-quality options and save 20-30% in comparison with going it alone. Plus, it’s free to make use of and also you gained’t get gross sales calls till you choose an installer and also you share your telephone quantity with them.
Your personalised photo voltaic quotes are straightforward to check on-line and also you’ll get entry to unbiased Vitality Advisers that will help you each step of the best way. Get began right here. –trusted affiliate hyperlink*
FTC: We use earnings incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. Extra.