Commercial, Solar, Wind - November 20, 2024
Harvard, MIT, Mass General Brigham Partner for Clean Energy
Harvard University, Mass General Brigham (MGB) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) partnered with other Boston organizations to procure clean energy via two virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs).
The partnership also includes a fourth collaborator, PowerOptions, a 500-member energy group of nonprofits and public entities. Those members include the City of Cambridge, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Tufts University, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, GBH and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 3Degrees, a global climate solutions provider, facilitated the aggregation on behalf of the Consortium.
The higher education institutions, healthcare systems and a group of public and nonprofit organizations in Greater Boston and the North Shore will add two new large-scale renewable energy projects to regional power grids by establishing the Consortium for Climate Solutions to address the carbon-free objectives of its members.
The Consortium’s procurement is spurring the development of 408 MW of new renewable energy, which will be constructed, owned, and operated by Apex Clean Energy. The 200-MW Big Elm Solar project in Bell County, Texas, came online in 2024 and the 208-MW Bowman Wind project in Bowman County, North Dakota, is expected to come online in 2026.
These projects will provide new sources of clean electricity to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and support a more resilient and diverse electricity grid during 15-year contracts.
Consortium members developed an innovative approach that reduces barriers for nonprofits and offers broader access to large-scale renewable energy solutions. The Consortium’s purchasing power is enabling new utility-size projects to be developed to help address the urgent need to accelerate the shift to clean energy.
“MIT has mobilized on multiple fronts to expedite solutions to climate change,” said MIT Executive Vice President and Treasurer Glen Shor in a statement. “Catalyzing these large-scale renewable projects is an important part of our comprehensive efforts to reduce carbon emissions from generating energy. We are pleased to work in partnership with other local enterprises and organizations to amplify the impact we could achieve individually.”
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