Detroit city leaders, residents, and DTE Energy officially broke ground on Monday, October 27 on the city's first neighborhood solar array, a 42-acre site in the Van Dyke Lynch neighborhood.
Despite previous political and industry pushback against the "community solar" model in Michigan, the groundbreaking proceeded as Detroit leaders deemed the DTE partnership-based solar array to be "the best we can do" under current state law to advance local clean energy goals.
The event marks the beginning of construction for the first of five solar fields planned under Mayor Mike Duggan's Solar Neighborhoods initiative.
The larger project aims to transform 165 acres of vacant, blighted land across the city into solar arrays that will generate enough clean energy to offset the power required for 127 municipal buildings.
The initiative represents a major step toward sustainable redevelopment in Detroit and a unique solution for repurposing the city's unusually large amount of vacant land.
Mayor Duggan explained that the project fulfills a vision of taking the city's most blighted areas and turning them into power, while simultaneously using the generated revenue to improve the surrounding neighborhoods.
"If you had come down here six months ago... (there was) illegal dumping, other illegal activities, it was not a safe place to be," the Mayor said.
Joy Harris, President & CEO of DTE Energy, says it will generate about ten megawatts of clean energy, enough to help offset the power required to run city buildings, recreation centers, police, and fire stations.
In addition to producing power, the project includes significant community investment such as landscaping and providing energy efficiency upgrades including new windows, insulation, and water heaters to approximately 60 to 65 nearby homes, helping residents lower their energy bills.
Councilman Scott Benson, who has advocated for renewables for over a decade, spoke about the project’s significance as a tangible step toward achieving Detroit's climate goals.
"This location is not just a patch of ground that has been cleaned and cleared. It's a physical realization of our city's deepest commitment to a cleaner, more sustainable future," Benson stated.
The project is expected to both reduce Detroit's greenhouse gas footprint and significantly improve air quality while also creating well-paying, green jobs for Detroiters, including opportunities for union members.
Tammy Black, owner of the Communities Power Solar Training Academy, highlighted that DTE is sponsoring seven of her students.
"They're getting the opportunity to get hands on commercial training in solar, and that's all due to DTE," Black explains.
The Van Dyke Lynch site is the first of five solar fields planned across Detroit. Other neighborhoods set to receive solar arrays include Gratiot-Findlay, State Fair, Greenfield Park and Houston Whittier.
NOTE: DTE is one of Michigan Public's corporate sponsors.
