Clean energy project proves even small efforts can make massive impact on communities in need: 'A mechanism for advancing energy justice'

A community solar project in a village in Michigan is proving that even small-scale clean energy systems can translate to big wins for residents. 

As Inside Climate News reported, the small village of L'Anse, located along Lake Superior, is benefiting from a solar array near the community that came online in 2019. The system contains 340 panels and has a maximum power output of 110 kilowatts, per ICN. 

Around 50 households or organizations have signed up for the community solar program, ICN said, and some of them are saving roughly $300 annually on energy bills as a result. Thanks to a $140,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, 25 low- to middle-income customers received subsidies to help pay for their subscriptions, per ICN.

As ICN detailed, the local utility said it noticed a significant decrease in the number of households sending in late payments because of the subsidized energy program.

Karl Hoesch, the lead author of a report on the project and a University of Michigan doctoral student, attributes the program's success to the tight-knit L'Anse community that came together to light up their village with clean, sun-powered electricity. 

When they started planning the project in 2017, the Inflation Reduction Act didn't exist, and Michigan didn't offer a state-run community solar program to help with funding. That meant it was up to the village to come up with the money, but thankfully, grants from Michigan's environmental department and zero-interest loans helped bring the project to life, ICN explained.

The quaint village of just 1,900 people showed the world what's possible with a little resourcefulness and a determination to bring affordable, pollution-free energy to their town. 

Luckily, the passage of the IRA has made it much more attainable for states and cities to launch clean energy projects. According to Goldman Sachs, the IRA led to the development of 280 renewable energy projects in 44 states in its first year, representing $282 billion in investments. 

The Department of the Treasury reported that an estimated 270,000 jobs have been created since the IRA was approved, and over 1.5 million more are expected to be added through 2034.

As more solar energy comes online worldwide, communities everywhere can look forward to breathing cleaner air, having lower energy bills, and being part of the energy solution to help cool the planet.

"In its ideal form, community solar can be a mechanism for advancing energy justice," Hoesch said in the paper, per ICN.

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