Michigan regents approve $70 million solar power project
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The University of Michigan’s Board of Regents has approved a $70 million plan to construct solar power arrays across its campuses.
Radial Power, a sustainable energy firm based out of Houston, was chosen to design and build the installations.
The solar arrays are expected to generate upwards of 25 megawatts combined — approximately 20 megawatts on the Ann Arbor campus and 5 megawatts between the Dearborn and Flint campuses.
Project locations have not been confirmed, but university officials expect large rooftops and existing parking decks will be used, along with some “ground-mounted arrays.”
“These installations will visibly demonstrate our ongoing transition to renewable power and our commitment to ensuring meaningful community benefits, both on and off campus,” Shana Weber, the U-M Associate Vice President for Campus Sustainability, said in a statement. “This is one way the University of Michigan serves as a living and learning laboratory for our students, for higher education, for Michigan and for the region.”
Discussions around large-scale solar projects started in February of last year. The installations will help the university move toward its dedicated goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040.
The solar arrays are expected to be installed over the course of the next three years.
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