The largest solar farm east of the Mississippi River now provides 100% of the electricity powering Loyola University in Chicago, and starting next fall the solar array will also be part of the university’s lesson plans.
The power purchase agreements that made the Double Black Diamond solar farm possible include “unique” components that promise Loyola access to the sprawling site and real-time data on its power generation, plus guest lectures from leaders at Swift Current Energy, the firm that operates the project, said Matt Birchby, Swift Current’s president. The Boston-based renewables developer owns several other Illinois solar and wind farms in addition to Double Black Diamond.
“It offers a lot of opportunities for faculty and students on campus,” said Loyola assistant professor of environmental policy Gilbert Michaud, who attended a ribbon-cutting for the solar farm on April 30, though the project has been producing energy since last year. “It’s good for me; it’s good for the students. We’ll write some papers.”
The 593-megawatt array also provides about 70% of the electricity used by the city of Chicago for municipal operations, including the city’s two airports. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson joined Loyola faculty and local elected officials at the ribbon-cutting, which took place amid farmland a three-hour drive south of Chicago.
The solar farm is crucial to Chicago meeting its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2025, Chicago Department of Environment spokesperson Kathleen O’Shea said. “This project demonstrates how climate action and economic investment can go hand in hand and benefit both our planet and people,” O’Shea said.
Swift Current is exploring ways to invest in Chicago-based workforce training programs to prepare residents for careers in the clean energy sector, Birchby said, as part of a community benefits agreement with the city, since Chicago is too far away to reap tax and employment benefits from the solar farm.
The $779 million project was built by union workers, mostly with modules produced domestically by Arizona-based First Solar — a boon during the post-Covid global supply chain crunch, Birchby said.
Electricity supplier Constellation Energy Corp., which also owns Illinois’ fleet of nuclear power plants, purchases the energy from the solar farm and passes the renewable energy credits on to Chicago, Loyola, CVS, and other customers. Chicago has a 300-MW allotment from the project, and Loyola claims 38 MW. That helps Loyola meet its 2025 goal of being carbon neutral, which is part of the Jesuit university’s larger faith-based commitment to sustainability, as officials told Canary Media in 2023 when the solar farm deal was announced.
Michaud, an economist and data analyst by training, looks forward to using data from Double Black Diamond in his courses and bringing students to the solar farm and surrounding area for fieldwork.
