Leelanau County applied in February for $1.5 million in state funds to build two solar arrays on the government center campus in Suttons Bay. The grant process was competitive and over 50 organizations applied. The commission administering the grants announced Sept. 26 that Leelanau County would not be one of the recipients.
The grant proposal was prepared by Leelanau County’s Energy Futures Task Force (EFTF), a 14-member body consisting of citizens and three elected officials: county commissioners Melinda Lautner, Gwenne Allgaier, and Kama Ross. The task force chairman is Joe DeFors, president of the nonprofit Leelanau Energy.
DeFors said that even though Leelanau County was not one of the grant recipients listed in the awards announcement, there is still a “slim” chance that county will be offered funding if one of the other organizations backs out before Nov. 15. The EFTF is waiting for this date to pass before making further statements on their proposal.
“There is a 45-day period where award recipients have to accept the money and the stipulations attached to it,” DeFors said. “After discussion, we decided to wait those 45 days because there is a possibility that one of the original awardees may no longer go forward.”
EFTF members hoped to fully fund the purchase and installation of the solar arrays on the government center campus through the Michigan Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) Renewable Energy and Electrification Infrastructure Enhancement and Development grant program.
In the grant proposal, the county requested just over $1.5 million to install two 200 kilowatt arrays south of the main government center building and over the parking area at the sheriff’s office. Together, these arrays would have provided 30% of the electricity required for the campus, saving approximately $41,000 in electric bills per year at current rates.
Despite this, the grant application was narrowly approved by a 4-3 county board vote along party lines, with all three Republican commissioners opposed. One reason being that, by time the solar panels reach the end of their life cycle, they still may not have generated enough savings to break even on the costs of installation.
“There’s a lot of out-of-control spending going on in our country right now,” said Mark Roberts, the Republican candidate for the District 6 commissioner seat, at the Oct. 1 Cherry Pie Debate. “When there’s no chance of a break-even 30 years out, that’s not a project that we need to be taking on.”
The proposal estimates that the county will save $1 million to $1.4 million over 25-35 years – not the most impressive payout on a $1.5 million investment. But as DeFors noted, no local tax dollars would have been used and the state would have covered the entire cost. Since the project required “zero financial obligation” from the county, it would have cut local government spending.
As former Commissioner Jamie Kramer put it back in February, this was an opportunity for the county to recapture some money that already went to Lansing through state taxes in the form of local energy infrastructure improvements.
According to the grant proposal, the project met the MSPC grant program goals and advanced Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan by “formalizing (the) county’s commitment to serving as a clean energy leader and role model” as advancements in solar panel technologies make the process more viable for others.
“We believe that a project which successfully converts a significant portion of energy usage at our government center campus to clean, solar energy will provide a tangible demonstration for other public and private entities to observe, follow and ultimately copy for their own operations,” the proposal says.
The proposal also affirms the EFTF’s plan to promote a total transition by the county to electric vehicles (EVs). But contrary to rumors, outside of this passing reference, EVs and EV-charging infrastructure were not a part of this grant.
According to a Sept. 26 press release, $20.8 million is expected to be awarded to 12 organizations through this MPSC program. Leelanau County is not listed among the recipients, but the Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) is. BATA is being awarded just under $800,000 for rooftop solar in Traverse City.
