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Solar garden ‘shaping up’

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Board of Light and Power is working out some details on its solar garden project a little slower than planned, due to a delay in finalizing the contract for prospective buyers, according to BLP Assistant Director David Lynch.

The project, in the works for about three years, will offer residents and businesses the opportunity to invest in locally produced renewable energy without having to install solar panels on their property. Customers would pay for a panel and receive credits on their energy bill at a rate of 6.3 cents per kilowatt-hour.

“The language needs to be very concise so as not to eliminate any chance (of) the owners getting a (solar investment tax) credit,” Lynch wrote in an email. “Although we are not guaranteeing any ITC credit from the IRS, as that will be up to each customer.”

The federal solar Investment Tax Credit is a 30 percent federal tax credit for solar systems on residential and commercial properties.

Lynch said the BLP cannot guarantee the ITC would be available to a purchaser.

“We are trying to construct the contractual process so as not to eliminate that possibility,” Lynch said.

The contract is expected to be complete by the end of March, with public outreach efforts beginning in April. Subscriptions will be available beginning sometime in May, Lynch said.

There is no definitive date for the construction to begin or end, but “everything is on track so that construction can be completed this year,” Lynch said.

Erik Booth, director of of planning and regulatory affairs, said at last week’s regular meeting that progress on the contract and the marketing materials is going well, with construction hoped for by late summer.

“We’re in good shape; it’s looking really good,” Booth said. “It’s really shaping up well.”

The BLP is contracting with the nonprofit Michigan Energy Options for an amount not to exceed $17,000 for website development, contractual language, sign-ups, public meetings and outreach, Lynch said.

Robert Kulisheck, chairman of the Marquette County Climate Adaptation Task Force, commended the BLP for its work on the Marquette Energy Center and the Community Solar Garden.

“That’s moving in the right direction,” Kulisheck said.

Kulisheck shared a document highlighting a community energy plan in place in the city of Holland, downstate, with the goals of ensuring economic competitiveness, providing reliable and affordable energy and protecting the environment.

Kulisheck said long-term strategic planning on how best to use an array of energy sources might be useful in Marquette.

The task force consists of about 20 people from different businesses and levels of government with an interest in helping the community adapt to extreme weather events and energy challenges, Kulisheck said.

“We don’t care to get into lengthy discussions about what the ultimate cause of climate change is, or even what the solution worldwide is,” Kulisheck said. “But I think we are of a consensus that there is a need for us to be proactive, as we look to the future, to be able to adjust to changes in the climate that will have implications on primarily communities’ ability to deliver services to their residents.”

Mary Wardell can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is mwardell@miningjournal.net.

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