DTE Energy plans community solar project atop Michigan landfill

DTE Energy has plans to build its first MIGreenPower community solar project in Washtenaw County, Michigan.

The 20-MW facility will be the largest in the region and is designed to support Ann Arbor and Pittsfield Township’s clean energy goals. Additionally, all DTE Electric customers will have the opportunity to subscribe to this project.

This new community solar project will be located on a capped landfill and on a greenfield site owned by Ann Arbor. If built, 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.

“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,” said Trevor Lauer, president of DTE’s electric company.

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.

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.

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. Once registered, bidders can access the full RFP via PowerAdvocate using this link.

“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, 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 continuing working with our regional stakeholders and residents to promote environmental sustainability in our region.”

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 MWh of clean energy.

News item from DTE Energy