We need to install solar power as quickly as possible, but we must also avoid locating installations on sites that preserve ecological health and serve to effectively remove carbon from the atmosphere.
HRWC strongly supports rapid expansion of solar energy as a core strategy in Michigan’s response to climate change. Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing the Huron River watershed, and increasing renewable energy production is one of the most critical solutions Michigan can implement to avoid planet-warming emissions that cause climate change. We consider support for solar energy a part of our mission to protect and restore the Huron River system for both people and wildlife.
Solar Energy Helps Address the Threat of Climate Change
Climate change is an existential threat to the Huron River watershed as we know it. Stronger and more frequent storms, growing flood risk, warming waters, and disappearing winters could fundamentally change the ecological composition of the region, put people in harm’s way, and increase costs for those that live here.
In 2023, 65% of Michigan’s electricity came from natural gas and coal. Burning these fossil fuels directly contributes to climate change by releasing planet-warming gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. The longer we continue to use fossil fuels, the greater the warming will be, the greater the unnatural changes in our environment, and the greater the harm. It should go without saying that Michigan must phase out fossil fuel power sources in favor of renewable energy as quickly as possible.
Preserving Natural Lands Addresses the Threat of Rapid Development
By many estimates, most undeveloped, unprotected land in southeast Michigan will be developed by the end of the century, if current trends continue. With increasing development, we see decreasing water quality and poorer biodiversity.
Michigan’s natural areas aren’t just beautiful. They are essential for healthy communities. They attenuate the damage of natural disasters like floods and severe storms by slowing down the movement of wind and water. They filter toxic chemicals. They protect our food supplies, our agriculture, and provide habitat for game species. They provide areas to recreate and exercise. More holistically, they create a sustainable habitat on which we all rely.
Preserving natural areas is also critical to reducing emissions that cause climate change. Permanently protecting as much natural land as possible, of all ecosystem types, is a central recommendation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Forests, wetlands, and other natural areas don’t just lessen how damaging the effects of climate change can be, they also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it, reducing the pace of global warming. Acre per acre, for example, some of southeast Michigan’s wetlands absorb and store as much carbon as tropical rainforests.
Responsibly Built Solar Energy is Essential
Putting it mildly, transitioning to renewable sources is complicated and challenging. It will require shifting where energy is generated. It will change the physical landscape around us. These challenges will get harder and more urgent with time. By 2050, we should anticipate using at least two or three times as much electricity as we currently use, to power increasingly electrified homes, vehicles, and infrastructure. That means we’ll need a huge expansion in power lines, substations, and other transmission infrastructure. It also means expanding renewable energy generating capacity is as much a practical imperative as it is a moral obligation.
Usually, preserving ecologically important natural areas and expanding solar energy go hand-in-hand. There are plenty of cases, however, where tension arises between goals. Clearing forests or impinging on wetlands to build solar arrays, for example, is bad for biodiversity and ecosystems, but it also doesn’t make sense as a climate policy. It replaces one solution with another while dismantling the things we’re trying to protect in order to protect them.
We need to install solar power as quickly as possible, but we must also avoid locating installations on sites that preserve ecological health and serve to effectively remove carbon from the atmosphere.
When Possible, Put Solar on Rooftops and Parking Lots
First and foremost, solar energy should be installed on rooftops, abandoned industrial sites, and over other developed areas with impervious surfaces, like parking lots. The state legislature should take all steps to make this approach as affordable and efficient as possible. Putting solar panels on roofs and over pavement reduces the need to put solar panels in other places that are more sensitive. It creates a sustainable, decentralized system that is more resilient for homeowners to power outages, and it can drastically lower costs when property owners generate their own power. With this in mind, it’s hard not to see the vacant rooftops of big box department stores in suburbs as wasted solar energy opportunities. They could be a tremendous source of electricity with the right incentives.
Avoid Encroachment on Natural Areas
In the Huron River watershed, large-scale, ground-based solar energy projects typically propose developing areas that are primarily farmland and include natural areas. Project proponents often dismiss the social implications of replacing these landscapes with expansive solar installations. We’ve seen projects invigorate local opposition because of inadequate local engagement, and opportunities to resolve disputes amicably are missed. When feasible, power generated from installations should be distributed in a manner that lowers that community’s energy costs. After all, the community where the solar is installed should reap the financial and reliability benefits of the installation. Project managers should consider alternatives like compensating communities financially, or making amendments to installation design, or by investing in other community amenities. In all cases, the effects on natural areas should be minimized and balanced against the emissions reductions the solar panels provide.
The transition to a renewable, sustainable future will not be easy. It will require all of us to realign our expectations with reality, make compromises, and find new opportunities. The good news is that we have solutions at our disposal that are tried and true. We know what we need to do, we just need the political will to see them through.
Rebecca Esselman, executive director, and David Lossing, government relations director, contributed to this post.