By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
Two northern Michigan nonprofit organizations are teaming up to promote a solar panel program, Access MI Solar.
The goal is to help businesses and homeowners afford solar installations, save on energy, and reduce emissions, according to Leelanau Energy, which is partnering with Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities on the program this year. Those within a 40-mile radius of Traverse City or Petoskey are eligible.
If at least 10 participants sign up by May 31st, those that end up installing projects will get a 10% discount through CBS Solar, the company contracted for the program this year. Everyone who signs up can get an estimate of how much an installation would cost, but don’t need to commit to actually getting panels.
According to Groundwork, the discount will increase as more people sign up, with a cap of 15%.
There’s also a 30% federal tax credit for residential clean energy projects which, according to the IRS, is still available.
Groundwork started Access MI Solar in 2022, but the involvement of Leelanau Energy is new.
“We thought the program was sort of being undersold, you might say, up in our county,” said Phil Loud, with Leelanau Energy.
Loud, a retired civil engineer who lives in Northport, installed solar panels on his home several years ago, selling the power back to the grid through a Consumers Energy program. From May through October, the panels generate enough electricity for all his needs, he said, though that productivity drops pretty sharply in the winter.
Beyond energy savings, he looked at it as “this is the right thing to do,” he said, “a small contribution towards helping reduce our petroleum footprint by generating some power at my own house.”
Residential solar power can work well in northern Michigan, Loud said, and this program is one option for more people to tap into that.
“Everybody has a slightly different potential for generating power with the same set of panels,” he said. “It just depends on your particular location and what kind of a setting you have.”
There are two community meetings about the solar program:
- Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m. at the Suttons Bay District Library
- Thursday, May 15, at 7 p.m. at the Glen Lake Community Library
Editor’s note: CBS Solar is among IPR’s financial sponsors. Our news coverage is independent.
Featured image: Solar panels on a roof. (Courtesy of Peninsula Solar)
