The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has announced the newest round of Renewables Ready Communities Awards (RRCA) to support communities hosting solar power and battery storage projects that will generate clean energy to power Michigan households and businesses, including a project in St. Clair County.
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 battery storage by providing awards that supplement existing tax revenue and community benefits.
The current round of awards totals more than $1.85 million and supports eight local units of government. Half of each award is disbursed upon the start of energy project construction, and the other half upon start of operation.
One of the awardees is Fort Gratiot Township in St. Clair County, which received $500,000 for hosting Portside Solar, a 100 megawatt (MW) solar project with an expected construction date of March 2027 and operation date of March 2028. The township plans to use the award money to help buy a fire truck.
