Boston Mayor Martin Walsh is hoping to work with other cities to drive down the cost of renewable energy by asking developers for price estimates to meet collective energy demand.
Walsh said the first cities to join the initiative include Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston.
Walsh, a Democrat, announced the project at the start of an international summit on climate change Thursday in Boston.
Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy are scheduled to speak at the event. Both served under President Barack Obama.
The gathering is billed as a chance to explore ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The summit comes about a year after President Donald Trump's administration announced plans to pull out of the Kerry-negotiated Paris climate agreement.
