Solar panels save on energy costs but make roof repairs more expensive
Rooftop solar panels can save money on energy bills, but homeowners may also face more expensive roof repairs as a result.
Straight Arrow News
- Developers will convert 42 acres of Van Dyke/Lynch neighborhood into solar farms.
- Solar arrays will help offset electricity needs for Detroit’s 127 municipal buildings.
- Construction preparation for remaining neighborhoods is underway.
City officials, developers and community members on Monday, Oct. 27, celebrated the groundbreaking of the first neighborhood to be redeveloped into a solar farm, which will be used to offset electricity in Detroit’s municipal buildings.
Mayor Mike Duggan, alongside DTE Energy President and CEO Joi Harris and dozens of community members, kicked off construction for the Van Dyke/Lynch neighborhood project, which will convert about 42 acres of vacant and blighted land into a landscaped solar field. Preparation for construction is underway in other neighborhoods — Gratiot Findlay and State Fair — which also will be part of the first phase, with construction expected to start in those areas early next year. Duggan announced the projects last year in an effort to repurpose vacant land and to generate clean energy to help offset electricity for the city’s 127 municipal buildings.
“In this state, we’re still importing energy and the demands being placed are enormous. We’re going to need every source of energy that we can get, and to be able to do it with renewable is such a step forward,” Duggan said.
“When I ran for mayor, I laid out a 10-point plan we called, ‘Every Neighborhood has a Future.’ And the 10th point was that those blocks that might only have one person left per block, that we would find a way to swap them out and clear those neighborhoods … on this side, we basically had one occupant, every block or two. If you came down here six months ago, the neighbors will tell you: illegal dumping, other illegal activities, it was not a safe place to be.”
Duggan’s administration explored whether the city could convert blighted areas into power-producing sites, and use money made from it to improve homes of residents in surrounding areas. Home repairs were part of the community incentives of the project for nearby residents.
DTE Energy and Boston-based Lightstar will build the solar arrays. Harris said DTE will also “beautify” the solar farms with trees, shrubs, welcome signage and other landscaping.
“DTE is Michigan’s leading developer and producer of renewable energy. … Detroit-made clean power will help reduce the city’s carbon footprint and create a cleaner environment for your children and your grandchildren,” Harris said. “There’s roughly 60-65 homes (in Van Dyke/Lynch) that we will update with water heaters, with new insulation, roofing, whatever it is they need in order for them to take control of their energy usage and lower their bills.”
Homeowners of adjacent homes could receive various energy-efficient home upgrades, including new windows, roof repairs, residential solar panels, appliances, home insulation, air sealing, furnaces and water heaters, smart thermostats, energy-efficient lighting or battery backup power sources. Already, about 250 households have taken advantage of the program, according to the city.
District 3 City Councilman Scott Benson said the project will reduce greenhouse gases and generate local job opportunities.
“This is not just a patch of ground that has been cleaned and cleared. It’s a physical realization of our city’s deepest commitment to a cleaner, more sustainable future,” Benson said. “This array will allow Detroit to significantly offset our municipal greenhouse gas footprint, taking a huge bite out of our carbon emissions and helping secure a healthier environment for generations to come.”
Tepfirah Rushdan, director of the office of sustainability, said the city engaged environmental activists from the beginning of the project, driving a partnership with Tammy Black, CEO of Communities Power. The organization aims to provide affordable solar energy, and has provided professional skills training to Detroiters using a demonstration solar rack through the Solar Neighborhoods Project. DTE is sponsoring seven of her students, Black said.
“DTE and Motor City Electric are gonna help my students — who would normally just be doing rooftop solar training — getting the opportunity to get hands-on, commercial training in solar,” Black said.
Haley Henley, who has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years, said Monday’s announcement was “a day worth waiting for,” especially since dealing with electrical issues in her home, which have been fixed through the program. She thanked those involved for helping to upgrade her home.
“Without the help, I would not have made it. I was a disaster waiting to happen,” Henley said. “I had no electrical work in my kitchen. I ran an extension cord from my dining room to my kitchen for six months. I cooked on one hot plate. But I made it. And for that, I want to thank the mayor for thinking about us and coming to this area, and letting us know that we’re not forgotten.”
Dorothy Gladney described the neighborhood as “beautiful” when she moved in more than 40 years ago. But one day, the lawns were no longer maintained and houses were falling apart. She dubbed herself the “mayor of Almont Street,” drawing laughter from the crowd, including Duggan, and said she nearly left the city until she met Duggan.
“I said, who is Duggan? What’s he gonna do?” Gladney said, drawing more laughter, adding that he said she and her neighbors will no longer have to worry about dim lights and trash out in the streets.
“It just wasn’t fair to the neighbors, to us. We try to keep our part up, then people come from all over, dumping on us. For now, we got it made,” Gladney said, adding that the area is now cleaner and turned around since its darker days.
Phase two will involve developing the Houston Whittier/Hayes and Greenfield Park/I-75-McNichols neighborhoods. Pre-construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2026, with all five projects expected to be up and running by early 2027.
Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: [email protected]. Follow her: @DanaAfana.
