Lookout Point Deborah K. Frontiera

Rows of solar panels are positioned in an array near the Delta County Airport in Escanaba. (Glendon Brown photo)

SUN-MADE ELECTRICITY

Escanaba’s solar panel array is lowering consumers’ electric bills

By Deborah K. Frontiera

Some might think the U.P. would not be a good place to build a solar power generating facility. Too much snow in the winter, not enough sunlight, not practical . . . but think again! For every short, snowy winter day, there is a long, sunny summer day.

Studies over the last few years have shown that in addition to those long summer days the U.P. enjoys, Delta County has less cloud cover and lower over-all humidity than other areas in the state of Michigan. On an annual basis, more solar energy can be produced in Delta County, panel for panel, than any other place in the state, based on data collected by several agencies over recent years. For those reasons, the City of Escanaba (and UPPCO independently) began considering the value of a solar farm as another part of over-all electricity production. Those plans have come a long way since their inception.

While it is hard to estimate how much savings, in terms of dollars and cents, customers might see from the inclusion of solar energy in a company’s energy portfolio, the amount could be significant. UPPCO has sought to buy solar power from third party developers, rather than building and owning a solar project itself; the advantage being that certain tax credits are available for solar projects that cannot be used by UPPCO. If UPPCO built a solar project, it would cost more and those costs would be passed on to customers. By partnering with a developer that can use those tax credits, UPPCO’s customers might benefit from reduced energy costs for many years to come. However, those partnership plans are currently stuck in limbo.

UPPCO’s ultimate goal is to have over 50 percent of its power generated through renewables by 2025. Including solar energy in the company’s energy portfolio would help achieve that goal. Today, about 20 percent of the power UPPCO delivers to its customers is generated by hydroelectric generating facilities, which is above the state’s requirement. These UPPCO facilities have been in place for many years and are known under the names Hoist, McClure, Prickett, Victoria, Boney Falls, and Escanaba River. They were built between 1907 and 1931 and have a capacity to deliver a total of 34 megawatts of energy. UPPCO has long had a policy to have power generated within its service area whenever possible, keeping it “in the UP.”

All of this is part of UPPCO’s Integrated Resource Plan, a state requirement in which the company must develop its plans for meeting the future energy needs of its customers. In a Feb. 6, 2020, press release, UPPCO announced that “the Michigan Public Service Commission approved the settlement that was reached in its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) case. The approved settlement sets the stage for more clean, reliable and affordable energy to be delivered to all UPPCO customers.”

On the “UP” side, the Glendon and Marilyn Brown Solar Facility for the City of Escanaba is currently operational. Gerald Pirkola, electric utility director for the City of Escanaba, noted that the city’s solar array, which was installed near the airport in 2018, is named for an area retired couple who were instrumental in getting the project underway.

Any City of Escanaba electric customer, including residential, business, or large power users, may purchase one or more of the solar panels and receive a discount off their power bill in proportion to the amount of power generated by each panel. The original installation consisted of 3510 panels, and 1440 more were added in 2020 bringing the total to 4950. Each panel is capable of generating 330 watts of power.

So far, the city has sold 618 panels to individuals and businesses. While these individuals and businesses “own” the panels, they remain at the airport where meters measure the amount of power generated and credit each owner accordingly. The average electric rate in Escanaba at present is 10 cents per kilowatt hour, but solar panel owners receive a refund of 6.4 cents when panels are producing. This may change from time to time, of course, but predictions are for it to remain in the 6.5 to 7 cent range. The city owns the remaining panels for the benefit of all rate payers.

Pirkola said, “There were a few bugs in the beginning, of course, but the system has been working well since installation was completed. We have not had any complaints concerning looks on the ground, sound from them, or any other issues.”

The city is exploring the possibility of adding an additional solar array at a different site in the next few years. “The existing solar array has had such a positive impact on the community that we’re hoping to add an additional facility in the next few years to more than double the existing installation,” Perkola said. “Technology is improving every day, with newer panels generating higher outputs with smaller footprints.”

Solar power is considered “green energy,” in that it is helpful for the preserving the natural environment. Use of solar power results in much lower emissions of carbon monoxide in energy production, and is cabable of producing a tremendous amount of electricity.

For those in the area who are interested, the cost of a panel is $328.38. Customers may not purchase more panels than the amount of power they use in an average year. (A high-use customer could own more panels than a low-use customer.)

Solar panels produce electric energy any time the sun is out. The peak of production is, of course, from May through September; and the lowest is in November and December. For more information, including statistics about energy saving, visit the city’s website: www.escanaba.org.

About the author: Deborah K. Frontiera lives in the Calumet area. Three of her books have been award winners. She has published fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children’s books. Frontiera is on the board of the U.P. Publishers and Authors Association. For details about her many books and accomplishments, visit her website: www.authorsden.com/deborahkfrontiera

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