An Ann Arbor housing development under construction plans to generate its own electricity, resulting in little to no energy bills for its residents.
The company behind Veridian at County Farm said the development will be an all-electric, fossil fuel-free community, that gets its power from solar panels, geothermal and electric heat pumps, and battery energy storage systems.
The project is headed by Thrive Collaborative, an Ann Arbor-based real estate developer. The firm said one of its central aims is to create projects that meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Thrive CEO Matt Grocoff said he and his team started the foundation of the project in the wake of the signing of the Paris Climate Accords in 2016.
“It was really the beginning of the conversation of what is necessary," Grocoff said. “If you want a de-carbonized grid, you have to stop burning fossil fuels in order to meet that goal."
Grocoff said the neighborhood is set up to act as its own virtual power plant, where energy sources including solar panels and battery storage systems connect to form a decentralized clean energy network.
But the system is held back by current infrastructure, Grocoff said. Virtual power plants do not yet fully exist in Michigan, he said, making residents unable to dispatch their stored energy back to the grid.
“Once a protocol is established, we’re going to be able to have tens of thousands of these power plants across the state,” said Grocoff.
But the project is yielding results. Grocoff said that residents have had low to no energy bills this summer, despite a record-high temperature recorded at the Ann Arbor airport.
Building a community
The goal of the neighborhood is not only net-zero energy, but building a strong community, Grocoff said. Veridian is located next to County Far Park, which has about 130 acres of woods and trails. Plans also feature a greenhouse and a grocery store stocked with produce from local farmers. Bikes and cargo bikes are available to lessen dependency on cars.
Grocoff said the goal of Veridian is to create a socially just, ecologically restorative, and culturally rich community.
The site is now looking to fulfill the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most rigorous green building standard. A living building is considered to be regenerative and self-sufficient, connecting occupants to natural systems as well as food and community.
“We want this to be an example for everyone,” Grocoff said. “Just like a roof is essential for a home, we believe that energy systems and the storage systems for that energy are essential as well.”
The development includes housing dedicated to a variety of living situations and incomes, Grocoff said. Less expensive studios are priced around $250,000 to $260,000, and townhomes go for more than $1 million.
Grocoff said Monday that there's one unit available for move-in and six more under construction. Two more units are slated to become available by the end of the year.
