The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced on Thursday the newest round of Renewables Ready Communities Awards (RRCA), supporting a total of six communities hosting solar power and battery storage projects.
The RRCA program offers flexible funding to local governments for community improvements and additional services like road and bridge repairs, public safety, park enhancements, and building upgrades. This program incentivizes communities to host large-scale renewable energy projects such as wind, solar, and storage by providing awards that supplement existing tax revenue and community benefits.
The current round of awards totals $3.67 million and supports six local units of government.
Huron County’s Colfax Township received a bulk of the funding, with $1 million being awarded to the Century Oaks Storage battery project and $670,000 awarded to the Huron County Silver Creek Solar project.
Half of each award is disbursed upon the start of energy project construction, and the other half upon operation. Most of the projects are expected to begin operation in 2026.
