Higher education institutions, healthcare systems, and a group of public and nonprofit organisations in Greater Boston and the North Shore are adding 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.
Through two virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs), 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.
The Consortium is anchored by Harvard University, Mass General Brigham, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which collectively procured the largest volume of energy through the aggregation. A fourth collaborator, PowerOptions, a 500-member energy group of nonprofits and public entities, made it possible for others to join in with access to the same negotiated rates and competitive terms as the anchor participants.
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.
