Company seeks acres for new solar plants,
creates economic opportunity for landowners,
communities
JACKSON,
Mich., May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers
Energy today announced it wants to work with landowners and
communities to identify locations for utility-scale solar power
plants that will provide clean, renewable electricity to
Michigan for decades to come.
Solar is the centerpiece of the company's Clean Energy Plan to
meet Michigan's energy needs over
the next 20 years while protecting the environment by eliminating
coal and achieving net zero carbon emissions.
That's why, with regulatory approval, Consumers Energy plans a
massive expansion to add 8,000 megawatts of utility-scale solar
energy by 2040, when more than 60 percent of its electric capacity
will come from renewable sources. Consumers Energy is searching for
tens of thousands of acres throughout Michigan.
"We need support throughout Michigan, especially in rural and agricultural
areas, and we want to work with landowners and local leaders
interested in siting solar power plants to deliver environmental
and economic benefits for their communities," said Dennis Dobbs, vice president of Enterprise
Project Management and Environmental Services. "Harnessing the sun
is Michigan's moonshot — and we
won't achieve this historic goal without help."
Consumers Energy has already begun adding 1,100 megawatts of
solar capacity to come online by 2024. It plans to own 50 percent
of this additional solar capacity and purchase the remaining half
from solar developers.
Utility-scale solar projects capable of generating about 100
megawatts provide the best value for customers. They also require
significant amounts of land — between five and 10 acres per
megawatt of electricity — that's flat, open and treeless with
direct access to the sun and proximity to existing transmission
infrastructure.
Ideal project sites for solar power plants are about 500 to 900
acres and are often comprised of multiple, neighboring landowners.
Potential locations include:
- Farm fields — including those less ideal for growing crops
- Brownfield sites
- Publicly owned properties
With solar leading the way, the company's proposed Clean Energy
Plan, would reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by
more than 63 million tons. That's the equivalent of removing 12.4
million passenger vehicles from the road for one year.
In addition to its environmental benefits, solar is increasingly
cost competitive and Consumers Energy can add it gradually to meet
Michigan's changing energy needs
without building a large, new fossil fuel power plant.
Siting solar power plants provides economic benefits for
landowners and communities.
- Participating landowners may sell us their property or create
an ongoing revenue source by entering into long-term easement
agreements.
- Solar power plants create hundreds of construction jobs and can
increase a community's revenue to help fund education and critical
basic services.
"Our goal is to meet Michigan's
property owners and communities where they are to start a
conversation about mutually beneficial solar solutions," Dobbs
said.
Large landowners or community officials who want to learn
more about potential for siting can visit
ConsumersEnergy.com/misolar to provide basic details about their
property and begin a discussion with company solar experts.
Consumers Energy, Michigan's
largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy
(NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8
million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower
Peninsula counties.
For more information about Consumers Energy, go to
ConsumersEnergy.com.
Check out Consumers Energy on Social
Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/consumersenergy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consumersenergy
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SOURCE Consumers Energy