DTE, Monroe County CC Break Ground On Solar Power
Officials of DTE Energy and Monroe County Community College and local government officials gathered Monday to break ground on a new solar energy installation on the campus' southeast side.
The 500-kilowatt, $3 million system is expected to be completed in February and will have a formal opening dedication ceremony in April.
Last July, DTE subsidiary Detroit Edison and MCCC announced the signing of a 20-year agreement that will provide the utility's customers with renewable energy generated from the sun.
The installation is part of Detroit Edison's Solar Currents program, which calls for photovoltaic systems to be installed on its customers' property or rooftops over the next five years. The goal is the generation of 15 megawatts of electricity in the Edison service area.
MCCC is the first educational institution to participate in the program, and its installation will be Detroit Edison's largest Solar Currents installation on a college campus.
"We plan to invest $100 million in our Solar Currents program, and we hope that investment will reap economic development opportunities that students at Monroe County Community College will be able to pursue after they finish their studies," said Trevor Lauer, DTE Energy vice president for marketing and renewables.
The Solar Currents system at MCCC will also be used as a demonstration for alternative energy education and instruction at the college, providing an opportunity for students to observe a working photovoltaic system that will generate enough electricity to power about 100 homes.
"It's all about jobs, and this is yet another in a string of jobs education partnerships between DTE Energy and MCCC," said MCCC president David E. Nixon. "Two years ago, DTE Energy helped MCCC launch a nuclear engineering technology program. In May, the DTE Energy Foundation announced a $45,000 grant and additional in-kind donation of solar equipment to MCCC in support of curriculum development to establish an alternative-renewable energy program. And now, DTE has stepped forward again, partnering with MCCC to develop a classroom on campus for students interested in learning about solar power. This solar array is an instructional opportunity, for which MCCC would not have had funding sources, so we applaud the $3 million investment DTE is making on our campus. We are focused on jobs for the future, and DTE has made significant contributions to those learning opportunities on the campus of Monroe County Community College."
Founded in 1964, MCCC has about 4,500 students.
The Solar Currents program requires customers to participate for 20 years. The solar energy systems will be installed, owned, operated and maintained by the utility. In return, customers will get an annual payment or credit on their energy bill based on the system size, as well as a one-time, upfront construction payment to cover any inconvenience during installation.
Irene M. Dimitry, director of renewable energy at DTE Energy, said the utility is still looking for participants in the Solar Currents program. For more information, visit www.dteenergy.com/solar.
Detroit Edison recently announced that it is building a 200-kilowatt, $1 million solar installation on the roof of a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan building in downtown Detroit. In addition, Ford Motor Co. will host a 500-kilowatt solar energy system.
Detroit Edison plans to invest nearly $2 billion in by 2015 to add more than 1,200 megawatts of renewable energy to meet the state's renewable energy requirements. In addition to the solar installations, the company plans to acquire or build wind farms and other green energy plants for half of that capacity, and contract with third party vendors for the rest.
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