WDET 101.9 FM
Solarize started as a group neighbors banding together to get group discounts on solar installations in Ann Arbor. Now it has spread across metro Detroit.
FILE – Nicholas Hartnett, owner of Pure Power Solar, holds a panel as his company installs a solar array on the roof of a home in Frankfort, Ky., July 17, 2023.
In 2019, Michigan’s largest utility ended what’s called net metering. That meant if you had solar panels, you no longer got full credit for the extra energy you sent back to the grid. So, instead of getting a dollar’s worth of credit, you might get 30 cents.
But in Ann Arbor, this didn’t slow down rooftop solar, or make it less attractive financially. Solar installations exploded there —from 17 per year before 2019 to 180 per year since 2020.
This is partly because of a program called Solarize — neighbors banding together to get group discounts on solar installations. Now it has spread across metro Detroit.
Julie Roth launched Solarize. Today, she’s the energy manager at the city of Ann Arbor’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
View all posts
Detroit Public Radio
Your connection to news, music, conversation.
WDET is a community service of Wayne State University.
CONTACT
Membership
Sponsorship
Studio Rentals
Technical Support
Pitch Us a Story
Help/FAQ
Other Inquiries
Shows
Podcasts
Schedule
Listen Live
Contests & Giveaways
SUPPORT WDET
Membership
Leadership Circle
Car Donations
Business Sponsorship
Broadcast Partners Program
More »
INSIDE WDET
About
Staff
Jobs & Internships
Public File
FCC Applications
