Massive solar farm being built in Muskegon County could power 40,000 homes

Consumers Energy’s new solar project is expected to save customers money over time and help achieve the company’s goal of generating more clean energy across the state.

Construction has already begun on a 1,900-acre solar farm at the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center, the county’s wastewater treatment facility in Moorland Township.

“From an economic standpoint, it was a real no-brainer for us,” said Charles Nash, chairman of the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners, who heard a presentation about the project Tuesday night. “It’s really grown into more than we thought it would, but we’re excited to see what it’s doing – adding jobs, providing potentially better flow and distribution of electricity for our employees.”

The new Muskegon Solar Energy Center will generate 250 megawatts of energy at any given time, enough to power 40,000 homes, said Tracy Wimmer, spokeswoman for Consumers Energy. This is the Michigan company’s largest solar investment to date.

“We have some bigger ones planned, but this one will be the largest in the state, so you can know it and be proud of it,” project manager Shaun Casey told commissioners.

The company has a long-term goal of having 8,000 megawatts of solar energy in its sources by 2040.

The project is expected to cost about $350 million and will employ about 200 construction workers over the next two years, with the solar plant officially operational in 2026. Officials say the facility will only be staffed by six full-time employees when it opens.

“It’s great to see this spreading across Muskegon County in so many different ways, economically, but also improving the quality of life for all of us,” Nash said.

Consumers Energy will pay the lease on the land, which is still owned by the county. Nash said consumers pay the county more to lease the property than it previously cost to maintain.

In response to commissioners’ questions, Casey stated that the solar panels are designed to withstand snow and hail and can also be repositioned to facilitate snow removal.

“Winter is a really good time to take advantage of solar energy,” Casey said, adding that more sunlight is reflected off snow during the winter months. He also added that the lifespan of the panels is about 30 years.

In 2020, approximately 11% of Consumers Energy’s demand was renewable energy, which includes solar and wind power. The goal is for renewable energy sources to constitute the main energy source at 63% by 2040.

Other energy sources include natural gas, customer efficiency programs and energy storage.

Nuclear power, oil and coal are expected to be phased out of consumer use by 2025.

Officials say the formal groundbreaking for the solar plant is scheduled for mid-June.

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