In this file photo, Milford resident John Carter, civil engineer with Power Panel, Inc., explains how a solar panel installation works on top of the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, 720 Norris Street, on Monday, June 25, 2012.Jeffrey Smith | The Ann Arbor News

YPSILANTI, MI - In Ypsilanti, solar panels generate more electricity per person than in major cities like San Francisco, Boston and Detroit.

That’s thanks in no small part to the advocacy of SolarYpsi, whose grassroots efforts to blanket the city in renewable energy installations put Ypsilanti between Minneapolis and Buffalo on a national ranking of solar power per capita, according to the calculations of its founder Dave Strenski.

Now, the city has another opportunity to climb the list.

Under a new program OK’d by city leaders on Tuesday, May 24, residents can get at least a $2,000 rebate for installing solar panels on their home or business.

The Grace Sweeney Solar Rebate program is named for the late Ypsilanti resident and wife of longtime city leader Pete Murdock. Sweeney is described as a “fierce supporter of education, libraries, unions, solar power and people,” in a memo laying out the initiative.

She left a roughly $73,000 donation to the city in support of solar projects, which will be increased to $80,000 available for rebates through contributions from SolarYpsi and the city.

That’s enough to dole out 40 rebates, potentially giving the city’s 84 solar installations at 50% boost, according to Strenski, who designed the program.

“I’m betting there are 50, 100, 200 people in the city that are on the fence. They want to go solar, they just haven’t found the time, or quite the money. And so the question to me in my mind was what does it take to make that person move?” he said.

The program, restricted to property within city limits, works like this. First, a property owner must get at least one quote from a licensed solar contractor for their installation. That estimate must come in under $3 per watt, a measure Strenski said will ensure the rebate goes directly to residents and isn’t absorbed by contractors charging artificially higher fees.

The resident will then share that quote with the city to reserve a spot in the rebate program, though the spot isn’t secure until the property owner or contractor pays for all required city building permits.

Then, once the project is complete and passes inspections, a rebate check will be sent to the property owner, according to the memo on the program. The minimum size of the installation is 2 kilowatts, with no maximum. Reservations open on June 1, 2022 and will stay open for a year, according to the memo.

Read more Ypsilanti news here.

Depending on the size, the cost of a solar installation ranges from $7,500 to $12,000, according to Strenski, and a 26% federal tax credit is also available.

But lower-income residents who don’t pay as much in taxes often struggle to benefit from that opportunity, Strenski told City Council on Tuesday.

There’s a remedy built in to the program for residents who live in the Heritage Park neighborhood on the city’s Southside.

That area, designated a neighborhood enterprise zone, is also eligible for additional grant funding. That would boost the solar rebate up to $7,000 each for up to ten homes there.

Strenski isn’t aware of a similar solar program anywhere else in Michigan and hopes it could be model for other cities to boost solar adoption.

Currently, the Ypsilanti’s largest solar installations in terms of power generated are the DTE Energy panels at the Highland Cemetery and those on the city fire station, which provide enough power for all its energy usage.

The rebate program received a unanimous endorsement from City Council members on Tuesday, some of whom noted it was an appropriate tribute to Sweeney, who was thrilled about the solar panels on her property.

For now, the funding is limited to $80,000, though Strenski said he’s looking for philanthropic foundations or groups that would support it.

“If we can get more money, we can do more rebates,” he told council on Tuesday.

For questions on the Ypsilanti solar rebate program contact Strenski at dave@strenski.com.

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Ypsilanti set to end the year with budget deficit, a trend projected to continue

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