The recently completed 480 kWAC solar array in the southern part of Ann Arbor, Michigan, is now the city's largest photovoltaic project. This array at Steere Farm Wells is powering a critical pumping facility for one of Ann Arbor's largest electricity consumers.

This collaboration is the result of cooperation between the Ann Arbor Water Authority, the Information Technology Bureau, and the Office of Sustainability and Innovation (OSI), which led and funded the project in line with the city's A2ZERO carbon neutrality goals.

"There have been many changes," said Simi Barr, Senior Analyst for Municipal Operations at OSI. "It requires collaboration among numerous city staff and departments, as well as external consultants and contractors, to ensure the systems we design achieve their intended purposes without compromising the city's critical water infrastructure."

This device is Ann Arbor's latest initiative for its own operations and the city's decarbonization mission. By 2025, two additional city facilities will be equipped with solar panels, the Veterans Memorial Park will have solar-powered parking shelters, the Ann Arbor Police Department fleet will add an electric pursuit vehicle, four all-electric garbage trucks will begin collection services, and several other actions will be taken to reduce the city's carbon footprint. More developments are expected in 2026, including the installation of at least three solar arrays, which will include a residential energy storage project led by the city-owned utility Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility.

This work is part of the A2ZERO initiative, a plan by the City of Ann Arbor to achieve a just and equitable transition to carbon neutrality across the entire community by 2030.