A couple of Michigan communities have considered a technology that’s just beginning to be used in the U.S.
Floating solar panels.
So far, no one has a Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy permit for putting solar panels on the water in Michigan, but there are plans.
Floating solar is basically solar panels on plastic rafts that are linked together and anchored to the bottom of a lake.
Ann Arbor and Pittsfield Township considered floating solar as part of the plan for a solar project they pursued. But that idea didn’t make it to the final version of the Wheeler Center Solar Park.
Plainfield Charter Township north of Grand Rapids has plans for a floating solar array, but it also has some obstacles.
Township Superintendent Cameron Van Wyngarden said these solar panels last twenty to thirty years.
“We were looking to save energy, you know, in excess of $1 million over that time frame. By offsetting a significant portion of our power usage at our water plant.”
