The Future of Chicago: Green Energy Grows in Importance

In the wake of the recent Icelandic culture festival here in Chicago, we're reminded of the impact of green energy on the city and the world. The move towards 100 percent renewable energy by 2026 for all of Chicago's buildings and operations is well underway, with it being one of only 100 cities in the world currently getting at least 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources like solar, wind, hydro and geothermal power according to CDP.

Iceland provides a great example of the use of green energy and what may be in store for Chicago in part due to its swimming pools -- see some of the ones shown in the guide “Things To Do In Iceland” for example, which explains that "thanks to Iceland's renewable energy policies, the use of water in large capacities (i.e., for swimming pools and saunas) is very cheap, making it a favorite pastime among Icelanders." The site goes on to note that 18 swimming pools are found in the greater Reykjavik area alone. Iceland also happens to be one of the areas of the world which has several cities on the list of cities getting at least 70 percent of its energy from clean, renewable sources.

For its own clean water and power, Chicago recently signed a deal with Constellation energy set to begin in January 2023 that will see the City partially source its large energy uses such as for airports, Harold Washington Library Center and Jardine Water Purification Plant with energy from a new solar generation installation currently being developed by Swift Current Energy in downstate Sangamon and Morgan counties. Swift Current Energy will also own and operate Double Black Diamond Solar, which at 593 megawatts -- expected to be one of the largest solar projects in Illinois to date.

In another example from around the world of what's possible for the future successful use of clean energy by a city, the city of Adelaide in Australia has powered its municipal operations entirely from renewable energy since 2020 -- investing in battery storage and biogas among other technologies.

Yet closer to home, while not as picturesque as cities in Iceland or Australia among others, four cities in the U.S. are already 70 percent powered by renewable energy according to CDP. Those include Aspen, Colorado; Burlington, Vermont; Eugene, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington.

As we look to the future, solar will only become more important as travel to and from "clean cities" and "clean airports" in the U.S. and beyond grows.