DTE Energy today announced the company is moving forward with a plan to build its first MIGreenPower community solar project in Washtenaw County. The 20-megawatt facility will be the largest in the region and is designed to support the City of Ann Arbor and Pittsfield Township with achieving their clean energy goals. Additionally, all DTE Electric customers will have the opportunity to subscribe to this project.
MIGreenPower is a voluntary renewable energy program that enables DTE customers to match their energy use to the company’s wind and solar projects. Program participation accelerates the development of new wind and solar projects, moving the state closer to a carbon neutral future.
“With this project, DTE is bringing a large-scale community solar installation to the residents of Washtenaw County. This is just one of many new solar projects DTE plans to bring online by 2025 to empower communities of Michiganders to go solar together.”
Trevor Lauer, president of DTE’s electric company
Over the next decade, Lauer said, DTE will develop several utility-scale solar projects on the state’s shared electric grid, as well as smaller community solar projects, providing customers with increased access to low cost solar energy.
This new community solar project will be located on a capped landfill and on a greenfield site owned by the City of Ann Arbor. If built, the City of Ann Arbor will serve as the project’s anchor tenant, meaning it would agree to purchase power not subscribed by other customers. Pittsfield Township will be prioritized as the project’s first subscriber and will use the project to reach its 100% renewable energy goal.
DTE is issuing an open Request for Proposal (RFP) for the engineering, procurement and construction of the project and anticipates that the project will begin generating energy in 2023. Interested bidders must register their company information on the PowerAdvocate website.
“We want to thank the City of Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township and the Michigan Public Service Commission for their partnership in moving this project forward,” Lauer said. “We have been working closely with leaders of both communities to help them achieve their clean energy goals and help Michigan become a carbon neutral energy state.”
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor said, “The 20-megawatt solar park will provide Ann Arborites of all incomes the ability to subscribe to a local, clean energy initiative. It is an important and exciting step on our path to equity-focused, community-wide carbon neutrality. City staff have worked on this project for over two years and though there’s more to do, I am grateful for their individual and collective expertise, dedication and effort.”
"Renewable energy is an integral component of Pittsfield Township’s Sustainability Blueprint, which envisions significantly reducing our community’s carbon footprint by 2025,” said Mandy Grewal, Ph. D., supervisor, Pittsfield Township. “That, combined with the fact that Pittsfield has been trying to install a solar array in our community for over a decade, makes the fruition of this project superbly exciting and gratifying. We look forward to continue working with our regional stakeholders and residents to promote environmental sustainability in our region.”
DTE’s MIGreenPower program has been particularly popular with Washtenaw County institutions, businesses and residential customers. Washtenaw County subscribers include the University of Michigan, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor SPARK, several small businesses and more than 6,000 residential customers.
DTE’s MIGreenPower program is one of the largest voluntary renewable energy programs in the United States. On an annual basis, MIGreenPower subscribers support 1.8 million megawatt hours of clean energy, which has the environmental benefit equal to taking 277,400 passenger cars off the road for a year.
DTE is Michigan’s largest producer of and investor in renewable energy. The company’s 50 wind and solar parks generate enough clean energy to power nearly 700,000 homes. Over the next two years, DTE will double its clean energy generation and invest an additional $2 billion in renewable energy infrastructure. As part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality and to meet its customers’ needs for more clean energy, DTE will continue to expand its renewable energy portfolio as part of its long-term generation plans.
About DTE Energy
DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.2 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. As an environmental leader, DTE utility operations will reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions by more than 80% by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress.