PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Plainfield Township in Kent County is looking to cut costs on power, and has a unique solution planned for it.
It's a field of solar panels, floating on a pond that the township owns. It's possibly the first floating solar farm in the entire state.
"We really appreciate the ability to use clean energy for our water plant," says Cameron Van Wyngarden, the township manager. "Also the ability to add more resiliency to the grid."
The only problem was there isn't enough land space for a field of panels. In talking with a solar company, White Pine Renewables, they came up with an idea.
"They jokingly said, 'well, we've done a floating installation before,'" says Van Wyngarden. "And we said, 'well, that's great, because we own a pond next to the plant.'"
The pond will now be home to solar panels covering close to a quarter of its surface. Those panels are expected to fully power the water plant nearby.
"Water plants use a tremendous amount of power to treat the water and send it out into the system," says Van Wyngarden. "And we use more power in the summer than we do in the winter, so solar panels can really offset some of that."
It's a project that's set to save the township money not just in the immediate future, but for decades to come.
"The estimate is that over a 30-year lifespan, it should save us into the millions of dollars," says Van Wyngarden. "This will not be a cost incurred by ratepayers. In fact, it's going to lead to cost savings."
The township is targeting 2024 to begin installation of the solar farm.
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