City of Jackson chosen to participate in Consumers Energy's solar program

The city of Jackson is hoping the sun shines on its wastewater treatment plant.

It was one of three sites chosen by Consumers Energy to participate in the next phase of the utility’s Experimental Advanced Renewable Program, which focuses on solar power.

“The city has been looking for ways to become more efficient at the water and wastewater plant, and part of that is becoming more energy-efficient,” said Todd Knepper, utility director for the city.

As a participant in the program, the city will be able to install photovoltaic systems and sell the power generated back to Consumers Energy over the course of a 15-year contract with the Jackson-based utility.

The city is still working to design the system, and installation costs have not been finalized, Knepper said. No estimate was available on the total amount Consumers Energy could pay the city for energy produced at the plant, but Knepper said energy savings and the agreement with the utility would eventually offset the cost of installing the system.

The city expects to generate about 150 kilowatts per hour through the system, Knepper said.

The Jackson City Council still must vote to formalize its participation in the program.

Councilman Daniel Greer said he would likely support the effort but needed to learn more about it before making a decision.

“It sounds like a great concept,” Greer said.

Systems owned by the city of Saginaw and the Blue Water Grill in Grand Rapids also were selected to participate in the program.

The program is tied to the state’s energy reform law, which mandated that 10 percent of the utility’s energy come from Michigan-based renewable sources by 2015. It was recently expanded to include an additional 3 megawatts of capacity.

The city was the only applicant from Jackson for this phase of the program, said Keith Troyer, coordinator for the program at Consumers Energy.

Consumers will begin accepting applications from residential customers for participation in the solar program starting Dec. 1, he said.

The solar program gives Consumers Energy experience with solar-energy production in Michigan, Troyer said. It also benefits customers who are interested in producing solar energy, he said.

Consumers Energy added a $2.50 surcharge on customer bills as it worked to meet state requirements for renewable energy set in 2008. Bills dropped by $1.85 in September after costs associated with building wind farms and buying wind energy were lower than expected. Troyer said an additional reduction would be coming soon, but the size of that decrease and when customers would see it has not yet been determined.

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