A solar powered Ypsilanti?

They may be baby steps, but a group of local residents are moving toward making solar energy a bigger and more visible part of life in Ypsilanti.

The group has raised $900 of the $3,800 needed to install a series of 12 solar panels on the south side of City Hall. City officials are also working to land several thousands dollars in state grants to buy and install another $19,000 worth of solar panels.

This same group was also able to add a fifth solar panel to the Ypsilanti Food Co-operative’s solar system.

A monitoring system is expected to be up and running this spring on the co-op’s Web site that will monitor how much electricity it produces. A similar system is being proposed for the City Hall solar project.

This is on top of the city’s efforts to add a solar water-heating system to the Rutherford Pool that will heat the showers. The projects won’t supply much of the energy needs of the two facilities because they are so big but will demonstrate to the public how the systems work, are cost-effective and can significantly offset energy costs in smaller buildings, such as single-family homes.

The group is looking for $50 pledges to fund the city hall solar project. For information on giving, click here.

Source: Dave Strenski, an Ypsilanti resident helping spearhead Ypsilanti‘s solar efforts
Writer: Jon Zemke