KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Consumers Energy and WMU officials snipped the ribbon on their new 8.5-acre solar array at the B.T.R. Park in Kalamazoo.
The panels are located where on land adjacent to U.S. 131, and anyone who is a regular user of that highway has watched the racks and racks of solar panels have gone up.
On a clear day the facility would generate enough electricity to electrify about 2,000 homes, but the electricity won’t be used for that. It will be used by the University to power their facilities.
Consumer’s CEO Patti Poppe says solar won’t provide for all the planet’s future needs but it’s a piece of the puzzle.
Consumers has invested in two large commercial arrays as well as the smaller solar facilities at WMU and Grand Valley State.
Another large array is going up at Fort Custer as the U.S. Military is also exploring the issue of energy independence.
