Zlati Meyer

Detroit Free Press

The weather forecast for Detroit today is overcast, but it'll be sunny at O'Shea Playground on the city's west side.

Ten acres of the vacant, blighted land is slated to be transformed into one of the largest urban solar arrays in the U.S., according to DTE Energy. A ribbon-cutting will begin at 9:30 a.m.; U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Muniz and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan are scheduled to attend.

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The utility will begin installing 7,000 panels — each 6.4-feet-by-3.2 feet facing south and tilting 25 to 30 degrees — on land it has leased from the city for 20 years for a total of $25,000 with an option to extend for 10 years. The 2 megawatts of power the site will generate is capable of powering 450 homes when it's completed by the end of this year, DTE estimates.

"It’s a learning opportunity in the sense that solar power is a renewable source whose costs are coming down, DTE wants to be ahead of the game if and when this become competitive," said David Harwood, the company's director of renewable energy. (It's an) "opportunity to spur some growth in Detroit."

The array is expected to generate $1.4 million in new tax revenue over the 20 years, according to David Williams, a senior adviser to the mayor and a member of his Jobs and Economy Team.

Money from DTE's payment to the city is being used to overhaul the 2-acre playground on the 20-acre property, which is south of I-96 at Greenfield.

What will happen to the other 8 acres on the west side of the site will be determined by the city after a series of community meetings, Harwood said.

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"We wanted to figure out how best to make use of a lot of current vacant land," he said. He said that Detroit leaders also wanted to bring a renewable-energy project to Detroit and embraced the solar project.

The utility also is offering home energy efficiency audits and upgrades to neighbors in the area.

In March, the Detroit City Council voted unanimously to approve the lease.

"It is a big deal that people, especially utilities, are spending money on solar after a past where they resisted it," said Dan Whitten, spokesman for the national trade group Solar Energy Industries Association.

DTE also is developing a solar installation at the GM Warren Transmission plant and two in Lapeer County, according to the company.

Contact Zlati Meyer: 313-223-4439 or zmeyer@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @ZlatiMeyer