PRESS RELEASE: Lightstar Contract Approved by Detroit City Council for Neighborhood Solar
Project will transform self-selected Detroit neighborhoods to power the City and fuel community revitalization
Detroit, Michigan – Lightstar, in collaboration with the City of Detroit is excited to announce the Lightstar contract was officially approved at the recent City Council meeting in Detroit. The approval of the contract represents a major threshold in the process to bring clean, locally built, energy to Detroit’s neighborhoods, a first-in-the-nation effort. Lightstar and City leaders are laying the groundwork for a future where Detroit leads the charge in urban sustainability.
Something to Smile About: Mayor Duggan (center) joined by project stakeholders after approving the contract.
The successful vote is a testament to the teamwork, responsiveness, and presence at numerous subcommittee and Council meetings by the project team involved in this groundbreaking initiative, aptly named "Locally-Sited Utility-Scale Solar." Lightstar would like to extend gratitude to our local project partners Jima Studio, Mannik Smith Group, and Elevate who join in the excitement as this approval kick-starts the beginning of a multi-phase endeavor aimed at intertwining the growth of solar energy infrastructure with sustainable agricultural development in partnership with Detroit's vibrant communities.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support and teamwork that made this approval possible,” said Brianna Fiorillo, Policy & Strategy Manager, Midwest at Lightstar who played a pivotal role in the successful submission of the project RFP with the City and was on hand for the approval to answer last-minute questions and provide policy insight. “ Lightstar and our partners are looking forward to getting to know the neighbors through the neighborhood agreement process and building a project together that the communities are proud of.”
Mayor Duggan's Statement on City Council's Approval of Solar Neighborhood Plan
“With City Council’s approval today of our Solar Neighborhood program, Detroit has become a national leader in the fight against climate change. And we did it with the passionate support of the neighbors," said Mayor Duggan. "We will begin to turn more than 100 acres of vacant, blighted land in the State Fair, Gratiot/Findlay, and Van Dyke/Lynch neighborhoods into solar arrays that will generate enough energy to power city buildings and strengthen these neighborhoods. In Detroit, we don’t just talk about addressing climate change, we take action.”
For more information about the "Locally-Sited Utility-Scale Solar" project and upcoming community engagement opportunities, please visit the official city project website at https://detroitmi.gov/government/mayors-office/office-sustainability/solar-neighborhoods.
About Lightstar
Based in Boston, Lightstar is an independent power producer (IPP) with a visionary approach to the development, construction, and ownership of community solar energy systems. Established in 2019, Lightstar has been at the forefront of the clean energy transition, championing solar solutions that benefit people, places, and our planet as a long-term owner and operator of community solar farms across the US. With a pipeline of over 1200 Megawatts (MWs) and growing, Lightstar’s mission is to build solar for the land and community, stewarding the land and integrating local ecology and agriculture with every project. The team at Lighstar is committed to leading the global transition to sustainable energy with projects that integrate seamlessly with local environments and benefit communities.
Press Contact:
Meghan Welborn, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
meghan.welborn@lightstar.com