GREEN PROGRAMS

The Marquette Community Solar Garden will give MBLP customers the opportunity to benefit from renewable energy without having to install and maintain solar panels on their property.  Instead, the solar panels are located on site at the MBLP’s service center. Participants in this voluntary program will be able to license property and purchase solar panels for a term of 25 years.  The renewable energy generated by these panels will be reflected as a credit on their electric utility bill from MBLP.

Cost is assigned on a sliding scale, based on the balance of ownership years. Please contact the MBLP for current pricing.

Each panel is rated at 320 watts and will produce up to 382 kilowatt hours per year.

Each customer that purchases a panel will be credited $.0545 per kilowatt hour.  Solar power generated from the community garden will go directly onto the MBLP electric grid and participants will be credited against their electric consumption for the electricity production from their portion of the solar array.  Credits will carry over from month to month for a period of 12 months from May 1 to April 30.  If any carry over credits exist on the last day of the 12 month period credits will be zeroed out.

Any MBLP customer in good standing is eligible to take advantage of this program.  This includes residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers.

It is the sole responsibility of the customer to take any steps necessary to determine your eligibility to claim the federal tax credit.  Please consult with your tax professional for more information.

The upfront cost for each 320 watt solar panel is only $499, or $1.56 per watt for purchases of 1 to 30 panels.  People may purchase up to the number of panels that would generate the equivalent of their average annual electricity demand.  The MBLP, at it’s discretion, will make the final determination of the number of panels a customer can license.

The amount of your utility credit will depend upon how many solar panels you license.  Over the course of a year we estimate this to be just over $24 per year, per panel.  Your “payback” is estimated to be in Year 20 out of your 25 year lease.  You will not have any additional expenses for upkeep and repairs to the solar array: that is the responsibility of the MBLP.

If you move to another property within MBLP’s service territory, you will remain in the program at the new address. If you leave the MBLP system, you have several license transfer opportunities. If you are selling the property, you could include it in the sale price and the license would be transferred to new owner. You can also choose to transfer the remainder of your license to another MBLP customer, including any individual, business, church, school or a favorite charitable organization so long as they meet criteria set forth in the Solar Land License and Management Agreement.

Print, read and sign the Solar Land License and Management Agreement, Submit your signed agreement and payment of $499 per panel by mail or in person to the MBLP offices at 2200 Wright Street, Marquette, MI.

The Marquette Board of Light and Power (MBLP) has received questions from some of our customers regarding our snow removal plan for the customer-owned solar panels in the Community Solar Garden. The construction of the Solar Garden’s low maintenance non-tracking system and its location at the Marquette Energy Center was designed for maximum solar production during the peak solar months in the spring, summer and fall. Winter production due to the low angle of the sun is minimal under the best conditions. Possible damage to the surface of the panels due to snow and ice removal, according to our solar contractor, far outweighs any financial benefit when considering the possible long term reduction of peak generation that could occur during the three high production seasons if the panels are damaged due to ice and snow removal.

A review of the purchase agreement shows that it was not the intention of the MBLP to remove snow from the solar panels. By design, this plan protects the customer’s investment by not causing potential damage and abrasion as a result of snow and ice removal methods ensuring that the panels continue to produce power well into the future.

It is the MBLP’s intention, however, to regularly remove the snow that slides off and builds up at the base of the solar arrays which allows the solar panels to continue to naturally shed snow cover based on the outside temperature and the sun exposure.