Solar Neighborhoods

Accelerating climate action and creating vibrant resilient neighborhoods

Solar Panels at O'Shea Park

 

The Detroit Climate Strategy, informed by input of thousands of Detroiters, calls for our city to transition to clean renewable energy by 2034. The Neighborhood Solar initiative is the first step toward achieving these goals to address climate change in our city by providing clean energy, combat illegal dumping, and engaging communities and nonprofits to stabilize neighborhoods.

The Detroit Climate Strategy set goals for the City to power 100% of its municipal buildings with clean energy by 2034 and a three-year target to work with utility provider and private property owners to source 50% of Detroit’s electricity from clean energy.  

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Neighborhood Solar Initiative

Mayor Duggan's Neighborhood Solar Initiative aims to repurpose mostly vacant lots in Detroit neighborhoods into sites of clean energy production. While some areas have vacant homes, there are still occupied residences within the designated sites. The goal is to select neighborhood sites totaling 250 acres of neighborhood land needed to offset municipal solar. 

The project is part of Detroit's broader sustainability goals, targeting a 100% offset of municipal energy usage with renewable sources. The solar arrays will generate 33 megawatts of solar energy (21 in phase 1), significantly contributing to the city’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings. Once connected to the electrical grid, these solar arrays will begin to offset the electricity required to operate 127 city buildings, including City Hall, police and fire stations, and recreation centers. 

First 3 Solar Neighborhoods Chosen

On June 24, Mayor Duggan announced the first three finalist neighborhoods selected to host solar arrays:

  • Gratiot Findlay
  • Van Dyke/Lynch
  • State Fair

Finalist Site Maps

Van Dyke Lynch Area Map
Gratiot Findlay Area Map
State Fair Finalist Map

Watch Mayor Duggan’s Solar Speech

Community Engagement

Led by the Office of Sustainability and working closely with the Department of Neighborhoods, city officials partnered with local solar experts, or Neighborhood Solar Partners (NSPs), will work with five to six neighborhoods to host solar arrays .A coalition of local nonprofits, environmental groups, and energy experts have been instrumental in supporting the initiative. These partners assist with resident engagement, technical evaluations, and implementation of community benefits. 

The initiative followed a thorough, months-long community engagement process collaboratively led by the City of Detroit's Office of Sustainability, Department of Neighborhoods and NSPs, involving dozens of neighborhood meetings. This effort ensured that residents were informed and could express their interest in hosting solar arrays, resulting in the selection of the Gratiot/Findlay, Van Dyke/Lynch, and State Fair neighborhoods as the first three solar neighborhoods.

Rigorous community engagement and residents' wishes are prioritized throughout the selection process.

Neighborhood Solar Partners (NSPs):

  • Green Door Initiative 

  • EcoWorks 

  • D2 Solar 

  • MI Interfaith Power and Light 

  • Peace Tree 

  • Sustainable Community Farms 

  • Walker-Miller Energy 

  • Rescue MI Nature 

  • Manistique Community Treehouse Center 

  • Ryter Cooperatives 

  • First Family Solar 

  • Anti-Gravity, LLC 

  • SDEV 

  • Energy Alliance 

Community Benefits

Residents of occupied homes within the solar footprint will receive the following on a voluntary basis:

  • Compensation equal to double the market value (or $90,000 minimum) of their property, along with moving expenses and relocation services.
  • Any renters will receive 18 months' worth of rent along with moving expenses and relocation services.
  • The initiative includes energy efficiency upgrades for surrounding homes, with a minimum value of $15,000 on average per home. 

Each acre contributed will be provided with up to $25,000 in community benefits for energy-efficient upgrades, prioritizing affected homeowners and renters within the solar array footprint. 

Each neighbor will choose to use these benefits to reduce their energy burden, for any of the following, reducing energy bills by 10-20%: 

  • Windows 

  • Roof repairs 

  • Energy efficient appliances 

  • Energy Efficient furnaces and hot water heaters 

  • Home insulation and air sealing 

  • Smart thermostats 

  • Energy-efficient lighting 

  • Battery back-up  

  • Residential Solar Panels 

To receive the home energy efficiency upgrades, a homeowner must have lived in their home within the qualifying neighborhood boundaries as of December 31, 2023 and be living in that home through the date when the home energy efficiency upgrades are being performed.  The City has been working through the Department of Neighborhoods and Assessor’s Office to identify owner-occupied homes within the neighborhood boundary, and will continue to perform outreach to connect homeowners with available resources, including the home energy efficiency upgrades following City Council’s approval of the contract. 

These solar arrays are expected to generate enough power to offset electricity usage for city buildings. With the backing of the community and rigorous technical evaluation, the initiative promises not only environmental benefits but also community advantages for residents in the surrounding areas.

Equity fund for homeowners caught in limbo waiting for Phase 2 

The 5 remaining neighborhoods competing for Phase 2 selection will not know their future until 2025.  There are 31 owner-occupied homes in those 5 neighborhoods who have already signed option agreements to sell their homes, if selected, but they are now placed in a limbo period in which it will be impossible to do anything with their homes. The City is proposing a $4.4 million equity fund, paid from reserves in the Utility Conversion Fund, so that any of those 31 homeowners can exercise their option to sell their homes and move out of the neighborhood. 

Solar Fields required to be returned to the City as greenfield sites when no longer generating power 

Under the agreements, the Solar Fields will be operated for at least 25-35 years generating solar power.  Whenever their useful life as solar fields comes to an end, the contracts require the developers to remove all of the solar equipment and return the property to the city as a green field. 

No zoning changes required for a city public project

Under Michigan law, residential use zoning restrictions do not apply to city decisions to site city projects like police stations, fire stations, parks, recreation centers, and utilities.  The city is creating city-owned solar fields to generate renewable energy to offset the electricity demands of city buildings. No zoning changes are required. 

Neighborhood Solar Initiative timeline:

  • Neighborhood Solar Initiative launch: 
    • In June 2023, Mayor Duggan announced the solar initiative. 
    • Neighborhoods interested in hosting solar fields will receive community benefits. 
    • In December, the request for proposals from potential solar developers opened. The deadline to submit closed on Friday, February 23rd. The City will evaluate the proposals along with the level of support to determine the final winning neighborhoods for the proposed solar arrays. 
  • Ongoing Community Engagement: 
    • Throughout the citywide initiative’s process, the Office of Sustainability and the Department of Neighborhoods are working closely with Neighborhood Solar Partners to engage community groups, block clubs, and area residents to ensure area residents’ considerations are addressed and prioritized.
    • Department of Neighborhoods hosted meetings in neighborhoods with 10 or more vacant acres to share the opportunity. The city partnered with long standing environmental community organizations to support neighborhoods in applying to utilize vacant land for solar generation, 19 neighborhoods applied.
    •  Department of Neighborhoods held over 60 meetings in the neighborhoods to engage neighbors, get feedback and plan for the installation. At these meetings, residents drew the boundaries of the solar footprint and community benefits zone.
  • Final Neighborhood Selection: 
    • Neighborhood expression of interest petition deadline closed on February 15, 2024 
    • Communities with the highest number of resident buy-in became finalists. Nine finalists were selected last November, and now we're down to the final eight. 
    • Final site selections will require City Council approval.
    • Phase 1 of the Neighborhood Solar Initiative will transform 104 acres of mostly vacant, blighted areas into clean,
      renewable energy.
      • The first 3 finalist neighborhoods are: Gratiot/Findlay, State Fair and Van Dyke/Lynch.
  • Next Steps:
    • The plan is for the Office of Sustainability, The Department of Neighborhoods, our Neighborhood Solar Partners and the solar developers to work with the community and get their insight into how the sites will look.
      • There will be a negotiated and approved agreement between the developer and residents, which will include what the design, vegetation and maintenance will be for each solar neighborhood before any construction work begins.

    • To begin the next step of the process, the Mayor’s office has transmitted several documents to City Council for approval.  Those include:

      • Resolutions for the acquisition of private property in each of the three neighborhoods to assemble the land needed for the proposed solar arrays  

      • Contracts with two developers selected following a procurement process 

      • Resolution to create an equity fund for voluntary purchases of owner-occupied homes in the five remaining solar neighborhood finalist areas.  

    • Phase 1, covering 103 acres, will begin site preparation in late fall 2024. The city plans to select additional neighborhoods for solar array development in early 2025 and potentially more in 2026 to power city streetlights, ensuring a continuous expansion of the initiative. 
Solar Neighborhood Initiative timeline

Reducing Emissions, Lowering Energy Costs, and Building a Sustainable Future

The Solar Neighborhood Initiative not only aims to reduce emissions and energy costs but also promotes quality jobs, community wealth-building, and energy resilience. It aligns with the Detroit Climate Strategy and broader national goals set by the Biden-Harris Administration, contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future for Detroit residents.  

The initiative is crucial for achieving Detroit's goal of reducing municipal greenhouse gas by 35% by 2024 per the 2019 City Council approved GHG Ordinance. The Neighborhood Solar Initiative will offset emissions 23% of 2012 levels.  Combined with the business-as-usual anticipated decrease of 13%, the City will be on track to achieve our municipal goals with a 36% reduction. 

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