• Burcham Park

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Community Solar is a phenomenon that is happening all over the country right now, and the township sees it as an opportunity to learn.

Community solar refers to large, community-owned solar arrays that feed power into the municipal supply, as opposed to everyone installing there own panels on their homes. This allows the community to removed a larger amount of emissions at a single time, alongside other advantages and benefits.

Meridian Township has had its eye on solar power for years. The Township installed solar panels at the Harris Nature several years ago as a proof of concept for the interest.

"Well, surprisingly, for as many cloudy days as we have, Michigan is actually a really good place for collecting solar energy," says Kit Rich, Senior Park Naturalist at the Harris Nature Center.

Meridian Township first considered community solar when it was approached by Consumers Energy for a partnership in its solar program. While that partnership fell through when a suitable location could not be found within the township, the Lansing Board of Water and Light proposed a similar project soon after.

Unlike Consumers, the BWL was able to locate a suitable location; Burcham Park in East Lansing.

"We want to be a leader in this and other local units of government that doing innovative types of things and learn from each other as we move forward," LeRoy Harvey, Meridian Township Recycling Coordinator.

As a part of being communally-owned, residents can "adopt" one or more solar panels of the array. This arrangement allows the Board of Water and Light upfront revenue to construct the array, and adopters will receive a portion of the panel's monetary output. The BWL is currently looking for more investors, and once they receive enough commitments they will begin construction.