Higher education institutions, healthcare systems and a group of public and nonprofit organizations in Greater Boston and the North Shore are adding two 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 15-year 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 this year, and the 208 MW Bowman Wind project in Bowman County, N.D., is expected to come online in 2026. 

The consortium is anchored by Harvard University, Mass General Brigham (MGB) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 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. 

3Degrees facilitated the aggregation on behalf of the consortium. 

“This consortium highlights the power of collaboration to drive the energy transition and expand the accessibility of renewable power to organizations of all sizes,” says Ken Young, CEO of Apex Clean Energy. 

“In this sense, Big Elm Solar and Bowman Wind represent a major milestone in procurement, setting a new standard for bold climate action from governments and institutions.”