The Big Elm Solar project in Bell County, Texas. (Courtesy Apex Clean Energy)
Eleven universities, hospital systems, nonprofits and other organizations in Massachusetts are using their combined purchasing power to help build and run a solar farm in Texas and a wind farm in North Dakota. They expect their investments to spur development of the projects, which combined will generate enough renewable electricity annually to power roughly 130,000 homes.
Leaders of the group said their effort will cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by 950,000 tons, about the equivalent of the carbon that trees covering 600,000 acres of forest would absorb in a year.
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The group, dubbed the Consortium for Climate Solutions, was created in 2020 by Harvard University, MIT and Mass General Brigham. The institutions that participate will enter 15-year agreements with the developer of both renewable energy projects. The group declined to specify the exact dollar amount of the contracts. The organizations will receive renewable energy credits in exchange for the power the wind and solar farms produce.
Dennis Villanueva, director of utilities, energy strategy and procurement at Mass General Brigham, said the hope is to speed up progress on each institution’s climate goals.
“Contributing to a crisis that is taking a devastating toll on human health and the environment is at odds with our fundamental mission to promote health and well-being,” said Villanueva. “We have an obligation to lower our overall emissions and reduce our waste.”
Villanueva said the consortium’s investment will offset nearly 65% of Mass General Brigham’s yearly electricity consumption, and help the health system reduce or offset some of its planet-warming emissions by 2026. Harvard and MIT aim to offset all campus emissions in 2026 as well.
The other organizations in the consortium are Beth Israel Lahey Health, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the City of Cambridge, Tufts University, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, GBH and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Alone, these institutions couldn’t guarantee enough demand for power to make building a renewable energy facility worthwhile.
“We are deeply committed to sustainability and preserving not only art but also the planet for future generations,” said Brendan Mulligan, the MFA’s director of procurement and business operations. “The ability to participate in this groundbreaking renewable energy initiative allows us to take meaningful steps toward reducing our carbon footprint.”
Consortium leaders said as far as they know, this is the first time a municipality, universities, health care networks and nonprofits have joined forces to produce more renewable energy.
“We are not only catalyzing the transition to a cleaner grid,” said Harvard Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick in a statement, “but also demonstrating a collaboration model that will enable a variety of non-profit organizations and municipalities to work together to address the urgent challenges of climate change.”
