SUCCESSFULLY SITING RENEWABLE ENERGY IN MICHIGAN: A CONVERSATION WITH DR. SARAH MILLS

With 6,000 megawatts of solar panels currently proposed for Michigan—requiring more than 30 square miles of land—siting will be central to the success of our transition to clean energy. Will people embrace renewable energy infrastructure in their communities, or reject it? Dr. Sarah Mills has explored this issue extensively in her research at Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. She has met about siting issues with dozens of communities throughout Michigan and surveyed landowners who have hosted renewable energy infrastructure, like wind turbines, and surveyed their neighbors as well.