Cambridge’s new solar VPPA is the largest ever by any US city [Video]

Cambridge, Massachusetts, has signed the largest-ever virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) by a US city to help build a utility-scale solar farm in Illinois.

The 135 megawatt (MW) project on 800 acres in Champaign County, called Prairie Solar, will add clean energy to the grid, and Cambridge will earn renewable energy certificates (RECs) for making it possible.

These credits will benefit residents and businesses enrolled in Cambridge’s Community Electricity Program, which already offers stable and competitive electricity rates. This marks Cambridge’s second major renewable energy deal, following last year’s VPPA for a wind farm in North Dakota. Together, these projects are accelerating the city’s efforts to cut carbon emissions more effectively than waiting for the Massachusetts grid to go fully renewable by 2050.

Dennis Carlberg, chief sustainability officer at Boston University, said, “Since the New England Grid is one of the cleanest in the country, and these projects are in …