Grand Rapids hits the on switch for solar project at old Butterworth Landfill
October 2, 2025
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids will move forward with a solar field project after a decade of planning.
The city of Grand Rapids is making progress on a solar field project that has been in development for more than a decade, with plans to power all city buildings through renewable energy.
“It’s a project that’s been quite a long time in the coming,” Grand Rapids Assistant City Manager Doug Matthews said.
The proposed solar field would be located at the old Butterworth Landfill site on the city’s west side, representing the latest attempt to bring renewable energy to municipal operations.
“There’s been a number of iterations over time, dating back to probably 2014, 2015,” Matthews said.
The current plan calls for a installation that would meet the city’s daytime electricity needs.
“We’re looking at about a two megawatt project, which would cover all of our daytime usage,” Matthews said.
Previous attempts to develop the site have faced significant obstacles. Years ago, the city worked with a developer who encountered financial difficulties. Later, the city explored a partnership with Consumers Energy, but costs proved too high.
“While it was eminently possible to do that, the costs were just prohibitive for us to do it in a way that would have been responsible for the taxpayers,” Matthews said.
The city is now seeking a solar company to handle construction and maintenance, with plans to purchase electricity from the developer. Matthews estimates the project will cost between $6 million and $15 million.
A key consideration is whether the selected company can take advantage of federal renewable energy tax credits, which face upcoming deadlines.
“The deadline that we’re looking at is if we get the project started before July 4 of next year, then we effectively have four years to complete the project and bring it online. If the project starts after July 4 of next year, it has to be online by December of 2027,” Matthews said.
The city’s willingness to proceed depends largely on electricity costs compared to current rates.
“If it ends up being more than that 10-cent power that we’re buying now, then we’ve got to take a step back and say, Is this investment worth it from a sustainability standpoint, to make the additional investment to have the renewable power? Or do we, and I shudder to say this, do we pause and see how all these other things play out,” Matthews said.
Once bids are received, the city expects to take 4-6 weeks to decide how to move forward with the project.
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