Clean Energy Project:
Access MI Solar
We are excited to announce that the Access MI Solar program is now available in both the Petoskey and Traverse City areas! Homeowners and businesses within a
40-mile radius of either city are eligible to participate, meaning a generous swath of northwest Lower Michigan from the Mackinac Bridge to Manistee!
"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 2024 Participant
Learn more about the Access MI Solar Program by watching the webinar recording!
2026 early bird sign-up is now open! Have an estimate prepared for your home or business. REGISTER HERE.
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
Announcing Executive Director Recruitment Search
[Download a pdf of the Executive Director Position Profile] Hello Readers, Hello. This is Cheryl Hutchinson, Board Chair of Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. Today I'm sharing one of the most important emails ever sent in the 29 years that Groundwork...
Making Room for Solar Pays Off
By Peter Sinclair // As the Clean Energy Transition progresses, one of the questions most often asked is “How much land will be necessary for development of solar energy?” An ambitious build out of utility scale solar in Michigan would require about 2.5 percent of our...
Sustainable Ways, Resilient Outcomes, Thriving Tomorrows
Sustainable ways. Resilient outcomes. Thriving tomorrows.A few weeks back, on Earth Day, Groundwork finished out its 29th year of bringing sustainable ways and resilient outcomes to this beautiful state in the heart of our Great Lakes.I know people can feel uneasy...