Detroiters have made their stance clear: they want solar in their neighborhoods.
According to Detroit’s Office of Sustainability, hundreds of Detroiters have applied to be part of the Mayor Mike Duggan’s Detroit Neighborhood Solar Initiative. The community’s interest demonstrates an overwhelming desire to harness the sun’s power to energize city buildings and, in exchange, receive support to make their homes more livable and energy efficient. They deserve to have their voices heard by the City Council.
The solar initiative offers a multifaceted approach to some of our city’s most pressing issues: Blighted properties and dangerous vacant lots. The project aims to transform these eyesores into solar power sites, effectively turning a long-standing problem into a source of renewable energy.
Implementing this initiative also means making homes more energy-efficient and affordable. By providing community benefits, including funds to retrofit homes with energy-saving technologies, Detroiters can significantly reduce their utility bills. Lower energy costs mean more disposable income for families to invest in other essential needs, like food, clothing and prescriptions.
The leadership of Detroit has a moral and civic duty to heed the call of its residents. The desires of the people should not be undermined. The program represents the collective will of the community. Our City Council must recognize this and act accordingly.
As a Black woman installing solar for decades, including rooftop solar for 25 homes in Detroit’s Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood, I am excited about what this initiative means for the city. As a community leader, I hear the wants and needs of Detroiters about the importance of saving money on energy bills and having access to jobs. I have been passionate about implementing renewable energy in Detroit communities since the 1990s, and this initiative is an important step for our city.
Investing in neighborhood solar means investing in jobs and wealth creation for Detroiters. Jobs in the solar industry pay well, and as Detroiters gain more skills and experience, they will see their pay increase. The demand for these jobs is high. To achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of an inclusive, equitable transition to a fully decarbonized electricity system by 2035, the solar workforce will need to grow by 500,000 workers.
My company, Communities Power, provides solar workforce development training and solar installation, creating opportunities for residents of all abilities to gain new skills and provide for their families through good-paying jobs. We are training this workforce and have already completed the first cohort. We are also teaching students from grades 3-12 the importance of renewable energy, how it works, how it benefits our environment, and how it saves money on monthly bills by using energy from the sun.
The Detroit Neighborhood Solar Initiative will create even more job opportunities, and we are looking forward to working with the city to create one of the best holistic inclusive workforces in the country.
The initiative is a win for our city. It offers a practical solution to blight, a pathway to energy efficiency, wealth creation through new jobs, and a promise of a brighter, more equitable future.
Detroiters have spoken, and their wishes are clear. It is time for our city’s leadership to listen and take decisive action. The future of Detroit depends on it.
Tammy Black is CEO of Communities Power, a Detroit organization dedicated to bringing affordable solar energy and solar workforce opportunities to low-income communities. Black has trained 50 Detroiters since 2018 and six out of seven employees of her company are Detroiters.