Posted on 02/03/2015 5:45:16 AM PST by cripplecreek
Ann Arbor might be on its way to becoming the solar capital of Michigan.
The Ann Arbor City Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve a deal with DTE Energy to construct the largest solar array in the state on a 14-acre site at the city's airport.
The decision came following a brief discussion with no objections raised by any of the 11 council members.
"This is an exciting effort," said Mayor Christopher Taylor. "I'm so glad that we're moving forward with it. Having the largest solar field in Michigan is going to be an important thing for the city of Ann Arbor, even if it's just over the line in Pittsfield Township."
The Ann Arbor Municipal Airport is located just south of the city limits. The project still requires site plan approval from the township, as well as approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Michigan Department of Transportation.
The agreement between Ann Arbor and DTE would allow the utility company to use about 14 acres of the city-owned airport property. DTE would be responsible for paying for the solar panels and their installation and maintenance.
(Excerpt) Read more at mlive.com ...
Leave it to Ann Arbor to get excited about the one thing even less effective than wind power.
now theres a BARGAIN!
Will be wonderful during those 12 days of continuous cloudy weather in Michigan or fry the birds in summer.
Cloud cover average:
“On July 19, the clearest day of the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 76% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy 23% of the time.
On December 15, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is overcast, mostly cloudy, or partly cloudy 70% of the time, and clear or mostly clear 29% of the time. “
https://weatherspark.com/averages/29652/Ann-Arbor-Michigan-United-States
Col. Sanders approves!
Yesterday would have been a nice sunny day for shoveling the snow off of the panels.
Put them right on the runways.
That’s what I said to a homeowner/customer the other day when he told me he was getting “free” solar panels for his house.
I asked him if they came with an illegal alien to shovel them off during the winter.
Like the monorail in the Simpsons
The rarefied air of Ann Arbor is surprisingly dense and common sense doesn’t easily penetrate it.
12 to 14 percent, eh? I guess they’d never heard of A) overcast skies or B) night.
I’ve got a couple of potted palms. I guess that makes me the palm tree capitol of Michigan.
And in a state that almost always has cloud cover of some sort due to its position between the Great Lakes. This is as stupid as the California high speed rail.
Don't anyone bother to object that they won't be employing batteries. Solar power without storage to cover the time the dark time is simply subsidized propaganda.
Eh. We have solar panels for the 12volt system at our cabin in the mountains of central Utah. They are pretty good for some uses and in more sunny climes can be cost effective. Just not in Michigan.
Many stories and observations as to the airport, much more later when I have the time...
How do we get them to stop wasting their/our money?
I live in Maryland. So schmo came to our door the other day trying to hawk this stuff.
When I got home, I printed out a graph that rated Maryland as a 4 on a scale of 1-10 for kilowatt hours of solar effectiveness. I would assume Michigan (where I used to live to be a 2-3.
He never came back so she didn’t get the chance to ask him to explain it to her.
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