The Michigan Public Power Agency on Sept. 22 announced that the Hart Solar solar energy project has entered commercial operation, fulfilling a power purchase agreement for 50 MW of renewable energy.
The project, located in Oceana County and developed in partnership with NorthStar Clean Energy, will contribute enough to MPPA members to power 8,580 homes and 14 of MPPA’s Member utilities share in the contract, MPPA, a joint action agency, said.
“Hart Solar reflects MPPA’s long-term commitment to helping our Members secure reliable, cost-effective and carbon-free power supply resources that strengthen and diversify their power supply portfolios,” said Patrick Bowland, CEO & General Manager at MPPA. “Through joint action, public power communities of all sizes can share in the economies of scale needed to make utility-scale renewable projects like Hart Solar a practical, long-term resource for the customers and communities they serve.”
Hart Solar is the third solar project to enter commercial operation for MPPA Members in the past year, following Brandt Woods Solar in Calhoun County and White Tail Solar in Washtenaw County.
Since November 2023, when Michigan Public Act 235 was signed into law, utilities across the state have continued developing plans to meet the statewide renewable energy standard, which requires utilities to reach 50% renewable energy by 2030 and 60% by 2035. Joint action projects like Hart Solar help MPPA’s Members make progress toward those targets.
NorthStar Clean Energy, an Ann Arbor-based developer, owner, and operator of renewable energy projects and a subsidiary of CMS Energy, is the developer and operator of the Hart Solar project. The total array is rated at 120 MW. Of that, MPPA has contracted 50 MW.
