Clean Energy Project:
Access MI Solar
Enrollment is now open for the 2026 Access MI Solar program!
For a free, no-obligation estimate, sign up by May 31!
The program is now available from Mackinaw City to Manistee. Homeowners and businesses are eligible to participate.
"For me, going solar was about moving away from fossil fuels for my grandkids’ future and the health of our community. The savings helped, but we made the switch more for moral reasons than financial. I’d tell anyone in the community it’s really about the environment and making things better for the next generation."
— A Past Participant
Learn more about the Access MI Solar Program by watching the webinar recording!
2026 registration is now open! Have an estimate prepared for your home or business. REGISTER HERE.
Bonus for nonprofits and other tax exempt entities. You can receive direct refunds from the IRS for clean energy project tax credits, such as solar, wind, or commercial electric vehicles. Watch our webinar on Direct Pay.
Proudly partnering with Leelanau Energy.
Groundwork is committed to increasing access to affordable solar energy in Northern Michigan. Through our group-buy program, Access MI Solar, we plan to increase local solar capacity, advance clean energy education, and work with community leaders to make this program a pillar of our region.
We remain committed to supporting local solutions to the climate crisis, increasing our region's energy security and resilience, and helping homeowners and small businesses to afford solar panels. Plus, going solar saves many customers significantly on their electric bill over time! Together, we are empowering people to develop local, clean energy, and climate solutions!
The process is simple: The chosen installer will offer a higher discount through the Access MI Solar group-buy program.
Signing up in no way obligates you to sign a contract with the installer. That will be your decision to make later when/if you are ready after you see your estimate.
Solar panels have made remarkable strides in both efficiency and affordability in recent years. While tax breaks for home solar are no longer available, solar is still a cost-competitive technology. Also important: the destructive toll of fossil fuels on our planet is undeniable, and its consequences will echo through generations to come. The time to act is now. The longer we wait, the greater the cost—both to our environment and to future generations.
(BONUS: When you install solar, you inspire others to go solar too! "The strongest indicator of whether a household would install solar was whether their neighbors had." — National Renewable Energy Lab)
GET INVOLVED!
Resources
inspiration!
Clean Energy Stories
“Thank you so much for helping raise all of the funds for our solar project at Westwoods! Thanks to you, we reached our goal so much more quickly than I'd expected. So now I can move on to other things including other solar projects...”
— Nicola Philpott, President, Parent Teacher Organization, Westwoods Elementary School, Traverse City Area Public Schools
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?
Access MI Solar News
Speak Up for responsibly sited solar at the Wexford planning commission meeting July 27
With the proposed Wexford solar project Shipyard Solar gaining attention in northern Michigan, I want to share Groundwork’s stance on this proposed project—and how you can get involved in the process. First, A brief background on the project. As you’ve probably read...
Michigan Approves Line 5 Tunnel Permit, Ignoring Mounting Climate & Great Lakes Risks
Traverse City, MI – Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities condemns today’s decision by the Whitmer administration’s Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to approve the Wetlands Protection and Great Lakes Submerged Lands permits,...
Collective courage at the 2026 Michigan Climate Summit
The theme for the 2026 Climate Summit hosted by the Michigan Climate Action Network (MiCAN) was Collective Courage—and wow, did it deliver! Kicking off with surprise guest speaker Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel left the room feeling...