No, the city will be pursuing voluntary purchases for the homes that are in the areas we are pursuing. The homeowners will be offered double the market value for the homes that we purchase, or minimum $90,000 and 18 months of free rent to the renters in the solar study area. 

The areas that we are looking at deploying the solar are consistently used for illegal dumping and haven’t been used for housing development. The neighbors within the solar sites will be engaged for the long term of development of the sites that we will be developing, including helping with the choices of the vegetation that will be used for the sites. 

There has been no evidence of property value loss in communities with solar fields, in fact we are aiming for designs that increase the aesthetics of the neighborhood. Putting land to productive use should increase demand for property over time. 

Solar panels are primarily made of glass, aluminum, copper and other common materials. Solar projects use steel racks to position panels, electric cabling and a small number of inverters to deliver power to the grid. All this equipment is safe and contains the same materials found in household appliances.   

Solar panels absorb heat and reflect only a small amount back. Solar Panels with green space underneath like this project would not contribute more than homes or concrete which would normally be in these neighborhoods. 

The final host neighborhoods will receive community benefits valued at up to $25,000 per acre. Based on the proposals from neighborhood finalists, many are opting for energy efficiency upgrades. Residents within the project areas will receive $10,000 to $25,000 per home, an average of $15,000 per home. 

 Each neighbor will choose to use these benefits to reduce their energy burden, for any of the following: 

• New windows 

• Roof repairs 

• New energy efficient appliances 

• New furnaces and hot water heaters 

• Better home insulation 

• Smart thermostats 

• Energy-efficient lighting 

• Battery back-up for outages 

Michigan currently does not have enabling legislation for community solar, so community solar programs in Michigan are developed and managed through a local electric utility. 

City of Detroit is in support of state policy amendments that enables community solar for Detroit residents to lower their energy bills . 

The O’Shea solar array serves as a model for the Neighborhood Solar Initiative, which aims to build on its insights and lessons learned from community conversations with O’Shea residents prior to the project’s announcement. 

On April 22, Governor Whitmer announced a $156 million initiative from the Biden-Harris Administration aimed at reducing solar expenses for numerous low-income households across Michigan.  

The MI Solar For All initiative will facilitate the development of community solar projects in low-income areas, leading to reduced carbon emissions, lower energy costs, and the promotion of quality jobs, community wealth-building, energy resilience, and equitable workforce development. Learn more: Here 

Along with the solar neighborhood project, the Office of Sustainability is on several different climate change mitigation and resilience actions for Detroiters. This is also a collaborative effort across all city departments dedicated to protecting residents’ quality of life in the event of extreme weather conditions, such as heavy rainfall.   

In 2022, the City of Detroit began a Basement Backup Protection Program for flood mitigation. The program, funded by ARPA, assists 11 flood-prone neighborhoods in safeguarding their basements. Eligibility is determined based on need through City inspections and licensed plumber assessments. Services for participating homeowners/landlords include camera inspections, downspout extensions, backwater valve installation (outdoor in Phase 2), sump pump installation, and sewer lateral repair/replacement (Phase 2).  

Phase 1 completed 324 backwater valve installations in Aviation Sub, Jefferson Chalmers, and Victoria Park. Phase 2, supported by FEMA and HUD-CDBG funds, will cover outdoor backwater valve installation and private sewer lateral repair/replacement with a maximum cost of $30,000 per house. Inspections in Phase 1 revealed 40% of applicants had defective private sewer lateral service lines, rendering the backwater valve ineffective. Phase 2 will address these issues for over 2,000 homeowners who applied, starting by year-end. 

Based in Boston, Lightstar is an independent power producer (IPP) with a visionary approach to the development, construction, and ownership of community solar energy systems. Established in 2019, Lightstar has been at the forefront of the clean energy transition, championing solar solutions that benefit people, places, and our planet as a long-term owner and operator of community solar farms across the US. With a pipeline of over 1200 Megawatts (MWs) and growing, Lightstar’s mission is to build solar for the land and community, stewarding the land and integrating local ecology and agriculture with every project. The team at Lighstar is committed to leading the global transition to sustainable energy with projects that integrate seamlessly with local environments and benefit communities. 

More here.