DETROIT June 29, 2023 ~ Detroit city buildings may soon be powered by solar energy, with some cooperation from city neighborhoods.
During a Wednesday community meeting at Second Ebenezer Baptist Church, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan spoke about the city looking to build solar farms on vacant or blighted properties. He wants the community to decide where the farms will go and that neighborhoods that participate would receive funds to go towards their community.
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(CONTINUED) Neighborhood associations, block clubs, or groups of five neighbors can apply to house the solar farms in their area starting July 1. Any residents relocated for solar park construction would give renters 18 months of free rent to a similar home. Vacant lot owners and landlords would be paid market value, and homeowners would be paid double the market value.
The city could fund the solar farm through federal grants, and is looking to build it on 250 acres of vacant city land.
Duggan also brought up climate change when talking about transferring to solar power.
“The first part of my presentation is to convince you climate change is real, but if you walked through the smoke tonight, you probably don’t need as much convincing,” Duggan said, referring to the haze from the Canadian wildfires.
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