Homeowners in Michigan are banding together to buy solar panels in bulk, cutting upfront costs while strengthening their home energy independence.
According to the Associated Press, the push for group solar is largely a grassroots effort driven by solar advocates across Michigan.
The benefits of technology became clear to Woody Gontina after his home stayed powered during a five-day outage thanks solely to his solar and battery backup system. The experience served as a real-world proof of concept, prompting the Royal Oak City Commissioner to encourage neighbors to go solar through the Solarize Royal Oak initiative.
"Because of the solar and the battery, we had our whole house powered day and night throughout that outage," Gontina told the AP.
Gontina isn't alone. In the face of rising power bills and increasing outages, more and more homeowners are seeing the benefits of backup batteries and solar panels.
If you're curious about how much you can save by upgrading your home to cleaner solar energy, check out the free tools from EnergySage for quick solar installation estimates and to compare quotes.
The Solarize program in Michigan has expanded to several other counties and is now overseen by the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association. Although federal tax incentives for solar panels were phased out in 2025, the Solarize initiative still encourages residents to take advantage of remaining incentives to take control of their own power generation.
"As we see our energy costs continuing to rise, that's really the biggest argument for renewables," Gontina said. "Our electric provider, DTE, has demonstrated that they will not stop continuing to ask for increases at a regular pace until there's something legislatively done to stop that."
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For some Michigan residents, the "group-buy" program through the Solarize movement has offered major discounts to entire communities.
After learning about group buying, Michigan resident Julie Roth decided to bring the idea to her own neighborhood. She approached a local solar installer and asked whether homeowners could get discounted rates by organizing a group to install systems at the same time.
After striking a deal and snagging a discounted rate for homeowners who installed, Roth then invited her neighbors to gauge interest in solar.
"I thought that I would have three people sitting around my dining room table," Roth said.
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Surprisingly, about 40 people showed up to the first meeting. Roughly a dozen attendees had installed solar panels on their homes in just 12 months.
Now, as similar initiatives expand to new regions, groups of residents who purchase and install solar panels together can receive a bulk discount of 5% to 15% on purchases.
If these homeowners have inspired you to consider solar panels, EnergySage has all of the information you need to get started. Homeowners who consult EnergySage's experts can save up to $10,000 on installation costs.
Even better, EnergySage also offers a free mapping tool that lets you compare, state-by-state, the average cost of solar panels in your region, and it provides details on available incentives. That means you can lock in the best price possible for your cleaner energy upgrade.
If you want to protect your home from outages, lower your energy costs by avoiding peak rates, or even reduce your reliance on the grid, it may be worth pairing your solar panels with a battery backup system. EnergySage also offers free battery resources that can help you get competitive installation estimates.
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