Some people believe that solar power systems only work in the sunniest regions of the United States, places like Arizona and Nevada, and not in places like Michigan. But that is not the case. Germany has less sun than Michigan, yet there are more solar power systems installed in Germany than in any other place its size on the planet. New Jersey is among the nation's leaders in installing and using solar power. To be sure, the New Jersey weather is a lot more like we have in Michigan than Arizona or Nevada.
Just across the border in Ontario, Canada, there are many megawatts of solar power systems installed and providing power to families and communities. Almost without exception, these systems have already delivered more energy to the utility grid than even the most optimistic initial estimates. Some examples of large solar power system projects near Michigan include:
-- Sault St. Marie, Ontario, 60 megawatts.
-- Sarnia, Ontario, 80 megawatts.
-- Windsor area, Ontario, 65 megawatts.
-- Multiple sites between Windsor and Toronto, 60 megawatts.
-- Multiple sites north of Toronto and some farther north than Copper Harbor, Mich., 180 megawatts.
Investments in renewable energy in Germany, New Jersey, Massachusetts and neighboring Ontario bring not just power, but also jobs for contractors to install and maintain the facilities. There are designers, engineers, operations and administrative staff. All of these people stop at coffee shops and diners, and they buy homes and cars. In the construction phase alone, the typical workforce is about 100 to 130 installers per 10 megawatts of solar.
When you do the simple math, the Ontario installations alone create a lot of jobs. These are jobs that could and should be also created in Michigan. We have a solid solar industry infrastructure already in place. But for it to grow, we need more investment and also a broad and mainstream understanding that solar does work in Michigan. We need to dispel the myths purported by some that Michigan is too cloudy or that solar is too expensive. If that were the case, the installations to our north, in Ontario, would either not exist or be less productive than anticipated. But that is not the case, and so we simply watch others create jobs and energy that is best created by the workforce and entrepreneurial spirit that makes Michigan great.
Hundreds of megawatts of solar installations mean thousands of jobs in Michigan. Thousands of direct jobs from the solar industry means countless more indirect jobs when people are buying cars, building homes, going to restaurants and spending that hard-earned money right here in our cities and towns. It is an investment that pays off economically, adds to the diversification of energy portfolio helping create energy independence, and it even helps the environment.
Some of these installations, including the ones in Sarnia, employed Michigan contractors so Michigan has already benefitted financially from these projects. But so much more potential exists for these contractors.
The Canadian government and its utilities have proved that solar works great in northern climates like Michigan's. Serious people with serious jobs, who must realize a return on their investment, made these decisions. The investment in solar power systems means clean energy and jobs today and into the future.
Allan Gregg is the director of Power Systems for Spider9, an energy operating system company in Northville.