A new renewable energy agreement with DTE Energy marks a major milestone in the University of Michigan’s campus energy transition, putting the university on track to eliminate emissions tied to purchased electricity in 2027.
U-M’s participation in DTE’s MIGreenPower program is supporting the development of a new utility-scale solar facility in southeast Michigan dedicated to meeting the university’s electricity needs.
The project advances U-M’s broader efforts to reduce emissions across campus operations while expanding the use of renewable energy.
“This agreement reflects years of planning and collaboration to reduce emissions across campus operations at scale,” said Shana Weber, U-M associate vice president for campus sustainability and innovation. “By supporting the expansion of renewable energy generation in Michigan, the university is making progress toward its campus goals while also supporting the state’s MI Healthy Climate Plan.”
U-M purchases approximately 400,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually from DTE to power academic buildings, residence halls, hospitals and research facilities; roughly equivalent to the annual electricity use of about 30,000 average homes.
Under the agreement, renewable energy generated by a new DTE solar facility in Lenawee County, about 40 miles from the Ann Arbor campus, will be attributed to the remaining electricity needed to transition U-M’s purchased electricity to renewable sources.
The project is currently under construction and expected to be completed in 2027.
“DTE is thrilled to help the University of Michigan meet its clean energy goals,” said Joe Musallam, vice president of renewable energy sales and project development, DTE Energy. “Our MIGreenPower program enables everyone from large institutions to households to attribute their own electricity use to Michigan-made clean energy. This supports the development of more renewable energy, creating jobs and driving economic development.”
The agreement builds on U-M’s long-standing renewable energy partnership with DTE. In 2021, the university secured a power purchase agreement to source approximately 40% of its purchased electricity from Michigan-based wind energy.
Together, the wind and solar agreements form the foundation of U-M’s strategy to transition purchased electricity to renewable sources and support the growth of renewable energy infrastructure in Michigan.
“Powering a campus of this size requires reliable electricity every hour of every day,” said Brian Hall, assistant vice president for utilities. “This agreement is one part of a long-term strategy that combines on-site generation, off-site renewable energy projects and infrastructure planning to meet the university’s energy needs while supporting operational reliability, resilience and campus energy transition goals.”
The solar facility is part of Maize Rays, the university’s broader solar initiative that combines on-campus installations with large-scale renewable energy partnerships to accelerate the transition to renewable electricity. The initiative also includes 25 megawatts of on-campus solar installations across U-M properties, equivalent to the power needs of more than 3,000 average homes.
