Many people who cherish Michigan farmland and countryside have at some point in their lives probably fought to stop a large development near their homes—a huge factory, a gigantic shopping mall, a freeway, a coal plant. However, it’s likely that few lovers of land have ever fought to push a big development forward. 
 
But if our state, nation and world are to have any hope of transitioning to a net zero carbon economy to head off climate change, we will need a massive build-out of carbon-free, clean energy infrastructure. Much of that build-out will happen in the countryside, and it is likely to present champions of the land here in Michigan with heartfelt dilemmas as society balances fighting climate with traditional land preservation values. 
 
Will lovers of our farmlands, wilderness, and picturesque landscapes fight against or support a square mile of pretty countryside being covered with solar panels? Can they get OK with the notion of wind turbines towering 50 stories high above a 20-square-mile swath of bucolic farmland?

Here in the epicenter of the Great Lakes these types of developments have already happened, and will continue to happen—at a larger scale. Energy experts predict that Michigan could need about 209,000 acres of land, or 326 square miles, to accomplish a transition to a statewide clean energy economy. Picture, as a theoretical example, a 1-mile-wide strip of solar field running from Sault Ste. Marie, on the Lake Superior shore, to Ann Arbor. (Note: This project is not being proposed, but rather offered as a theoretical example to convey the scale of land use we’re talking about.)

It’s important to keep in mind that when we talk about using land for renewable energy, it’s not the kind of sacrificial use and landscape desecration that we see with other forms of energy production. Strip mining for coal removes entire mountains. Tar sands oil extraction destroys vast areas. But renewable energy infrastructure leaves the underlying landscape intact, and even allows farmland to recover for farming. At some future day when a better solution is developed and it’s time to remove solar arrays or take down wind turbines, there will be no remaining pollution. By comparison, there is a vast and dark legacy of toxic pollution from coal and oil production. During their working lives, solar arrays can coexist with crops and native plants that can sequester carbon and actually make the soil more healthy. Wind turbines often stand surrounded by healthy farm fields.

In addition, utility scale solar and wind are the cheapest forms of energy out there, keeping electricity costs affordable and stable for residents. This is important as we see utility companies that rely on fossil gas having to raise their rates on customers, impacting everyone. If we want to keep electricity costs down and buffered from global upheaval (the Russian invasion of Ukraine is partly responsible for increased fossil gas prices), we need to continue to build out this local, cheap energy source that has the lightest environmental footprint we know of.

By now you have perhaps read stories of conflict related to siting renewable energy in Michigan. At the recent Michigan Climate Summit, during a rural siting panel discussion that Groundwork’s Nicholas Jansen organized and I moderated, farmers reported knowing other farmers who have received threatening midnight phone calls after they agreed to host solar installations on their farms. Speakers told of landowner pickup trucks that had been keyed outside of public hearings for clean energy siting projects. Public officials have been recalled after approving site plans.

While it’s true that some organizing against renewable energy comes from groups funded by Big Oil, it’s also true that some of the opposition from locals likely comes from a genuine love of their landscape. We can all understand that. Michiganders love their homeland.

But every state has to do its part to stop climate change. We have no choice. Our part is committing what is essentially a tiny percent of Michigan to hosting renewable energy infrastructure—the 209,000 acres is about 0.5% of our state (picture 100 acres; 99 ½ acres would be untouched). On the other hand, if we don’t do our part to host clean energy and nobody else does their part either, then every single acre of Michigan will suffer the effects of an overheated planet. And Michigan will have said, “no, thank you,” to the cheapest, cleanest form of electricity known, dimming the state’s economic and environmental future.

In the summer of 2023, 45.7 million acres of Canadian forest burned (that’s equal to nearly 75% of all the land in Michigan) due to unprecedented high temperatures caused by us humans putting too much carbon in the atmosphere. Michigan’s committing 209,000 acres to carbon-free clean energy could help stop the cause of that kind of horror happening here too.

If you are feeling an urge to step forward and play a role in supporting local clean energy siting, we have an important opportunity to clue you into. It’s named Michigan Homegrown Power. By joining MHP, you’ll be part of a team, local to your area, that’s committed to building community support for clean energy. Each “Community Team” will create its own action plan based on local needs and choose from a variety of strategies, including:

• Engaging on social media to counter misinformation
• Organizing town hall–style events to educate your community
• Staffing booths at local festivals or events to spread the word
• Writing letters to the editor in support of clean energy
• Attending township meetings to speak up for renewable projects
• Meeting with local officials to discuss the benefits of clean energy
• Conducting local canvassing through literature drops or signature gathering

If you are interested, contact Groundwork’s Climate & Environment Program Director, Ashley Rudzinski, ashley.rudzinski@groundworkcenter.org, for more information on how you can get involved!

Be a part of helping neighbors and elected officials understand that allocating a tiny, tiny percent of Michigan to clean energy will give us the cheapest and most secure energy future possible, and will help fulfill our duty to steward this globally unique place we cherish.

Jeff Smith is Groundwork’s Communications Director.
jeff.smith@groundworkcenter.org