Sterling Heights City Council approved a $2.03 million contract with Harvest Solar to bring rooftop solar arrays to four city buildings. Officials say this will save more than $5.4 million…
(Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
Sterling Heights City Council approved a $2.03 million contract with Harvest Solar to bring rooftop solar arrays to four city buildings. Officials say this will save more than $5.4 million off power bills over the next three decades.
The solar panel arrays will go on top of Sterling Heights City Hall, the police department, the public library, and the community center. Officials anticipate construction should finish by late 2027.
Council members approved the plan on September 1, with $1,016,800 coming from city capital reserves to cover the net investment of about $1.02 million. Federal clean-energy incentives will cover half of the cost through the Inflation Reduction Act’s Section 6417, which lets tax-exempt city governments receive direct cash payments from the IRS equal to 30% or more of qualifying costs.
City leaders predict the installations will save about $107,500 off electricity costs in year one. The project will pay back in about 10 years. The combined arrays will offset about 30% of electricity consumption at the city campus, putting out around 613,000 kilowatt-hours each year. At the community center, the new system will cover approximately 46% of power usage.
The push toward solar comes as electricity costs for the targeted buildings jumped nearly 10.5% between 2022 and 2024, climbing from roughly $121,000 to $191,000. Actual energy consumption grew by only 4.6%, according to C & G Newspapers. Sustainability Planner Alexis Weinberg reported the increase during an April 2026 city budget presentation.
“The project will reduce long-term operating costs and protect the city against rising electricity rates,” said Mayor Michael Taylor, per MLive.
Council members told staff to look into adding the Department of Public Works building as a separate installation before federal tax credit deadlines expire. Harvest Solar, a Jackson-based company with a 15-year history, has completed more than 2,000 installations across the Midwest. They’ll handle engineering, permitting, utility coordination, construction, testing, and system monitoring.
The installation backs the Climate Action Plan adopted in February 2025, which sets a target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A baseline inventory found that Sterling Heights emitted approximately 2 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2022. Building energy use and transportation were the main drivers.
The installation supports the Climate Action Plan adopted in February 2025, which targets net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Sterling Heights City Hall and Community Center provide information about the solar power project and its environmental impact.
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