DTE solar farm project underway in northeastern Michigan

Bulldozers rumble and crackle across the gravel paths, contrasting with the green hills to the left of the trail. Rows of metal posts line the fields, and bulldozers are laying down the next piece of construction: solar modules, or panels.

It’s part of daily operations at Little Trout Solar Farm, a DTE solar project in Presque Isle County. The project is one of several DTE Energy is working on to promote cleaner energy in the state.

In November 2023, the Presque Isle County Planning Committee approved DTE’s proposal to develop 800 acres. Board members said it was a “difficult but wise decision” by a 7-1 vote.

Once approved, DTE began preparing for construction. Work at Hawks didn’t begin until April 1, with a crew of about 300 people building rows of panels each day.

Dan Hunter is the construction manager for the project. He said 343,000 panels are currently being built, with the work being divided into alphabetical batches to streamline workflow.

Hunter said the construction process involves four phases:

Laying the cable underground,
Driving piles or small metal support beams into the ground,
Installation of pipes with torsion springs on top of piles and
Mounting solar panels on torsion tubes.

In addition, the panels will use new technology. Unlike traditional panels that stay in place and face one way, these panels will be able to move on their own.
“In the early morning, they’ll be facing east,” Hunter said. “Throughout the day, those panels will slowly rotate west, tracking the sun.”

Matthew Wagner is DTE’s renewable energy development manager. He said that for the Little Trout Solar Project, land in the Hawks has been leased from 17 landowners. While the project currently uses 800 acres to complete it, only about 200 acres will have solar panels.

Wagner said that once construction is complete, the area, which is currently used for equipment storage and transportation, will be restored to its original condition or as close to its original condition as possible.

“They’ll loosen all the compacted soil once the project is done,” he said. “We’ll plant a lot of grass, a lot of pollinator vegetation, and there’ll be a lot of space in between.”

Wagner said the expected life of the panels — or how long they will provide energy to customers — is 25 years, but they hope to extend their life. In all, he said, the panels should power 24,000 homes.

Despite the land leases being passed, many community members have spoken out against it. One of those people is Laurie Smolinski, a Hawks woman who used to run a dairy farm in the area.

“I’m not happy about it,” she said. “I think it’s a blight on the community.”

Smolinski said the solar farm takes away from the farmland’s potential. While she knows DTE plans to restore the land later, she said she believes it will never be usable for farming again.

“I think food is the most renewable energy source that people have to have to survive,” she said. “They’ve destroyed the soil and created 20-acre (gravel) parking lots… It’s basically a small town now.

“We take care of this land,” Smolinski said. “It’s in our families. It was here before we were born, and it will be here for our children and grandchildren. What a mess are we leaving for them?”

Smolinski said she has other concerns about the solar farm, such as wild animals, noise from the panels and the possibility that other solar companies could use the area in the future after DTE completes construction.

“I’m not against solar energy, I’m against solar farms,” she said. “If they want solar panels, let them put them on people’s homes where they’ll be used.”

Despite Smolinski’s comments, Wagner said the community has become more open to the idea now that construction has begun.

He added that since April, the crew has been investing locally in basic needs such as food and shelter.

He also added that the solar farm could provide financial benefits to residents and the city as a whole through lower property tax rates and Environment Great Lakes and Energy grants that the community can apply for.

“We’re excited about what this is doing for the community,” Wagner said. “It’s money that goes everywhere.”

Ideally, the company wants to complete construction by October, but could work through the winter if necessary. DTE Energy officials said they expect the farm to be operational by 2025.