Consumers Energy has switched on a 250 MW solar project in western Michigan built on an active municipal wastewater treatment site, using a dedicated 138 kV grid connection.
Image: Burns & McDonnell
From pv magazine USA
Consumers Energy has energized the Muskegon Solar Energy Center, a move that underscores the industry’s shift toward developing large-scale utility assets on unconventional landscapes.
Located in Moorland Township, Michigan, the 250 MW facility now stands as the largest solar installation in the utility’s fleet, marking a significant milestone in the state’s transition toward a coal-free capacity mix by 2025.
The project was led by owner-operator Consumers Energy and engineering, procurement and construction firm Burns & McDonnell. To execute the build, Burns & McDonnell utilized its union self-perform arm AZCO to manage the onsite construction alongside local Michigan labor.
First Solar supplied over 550,000 Series 7 bifacial modules and Array Technologies  provided the horizontal single-axis tracking systems. Essential electrical balance-of-system (EBOS) components were provided by Shoals Technologies Group and CAB Solar, while Siemens Gamesa supplied the high-capacity inverters required to convert the site’s DC generation for the grid.
The project serves as a case study in land-use efficiency by “stacking” utility functions. Sited on 1,900 acres of the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center, a functional wastewater treatment footprint, the array proves that solar can thrive alongside critical municipal infrastructure.
Rather than competing with prime agricultural land, the project utilizes the treatment center’s existing buffer zones and irrigation fields, providing a stable revenue stream for the county, Moorland Township, and the Ravenna School District.
To move power to the grid, the Burns & McDonnell team constructed a dedicated open-air 34.5/138-kV collector substation. The facility features a single main power transformer (MPT) stepping up generation to a 138-kV dead-tank circuit breaker and a single takeoff structure. A control enclosure houses the site’s relaying, protection, and control systems.
The final link to the MISO grid is a new, half-mile single-circuit 138 kV transmission line connecting the collector substation to the remote interconnection switchyard. Built with local union labor through AZCO, the project provided over 200 jobs during construction. The project is expected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 40,000 Michigan homes.
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