PARMA TWP., MI – In the rural far western reaches of Jackson County there exists a sea of solar panels poised to deliver power to tens of thousands of homes soon.

The Jackson County Solar Project, a 125-megawatt solar farm, is nearing completion according to project developer Geronimo Power, formerly known as National Grid Renewables.

The developer, which operates multiple renewable energy projects throughout the Midwest, hosted a tour and ribbon cutting last week to showcase the progress of the project, which began its permitting in 2022.

The project spans 1,400 acres of land split into eight areas along Callahan Road from West Michigan Avenue to Devereaux Road in Parma Township near Jackson County’s western border with Calhoun County.

An acre is about the size of one standard football field.

“I’m impressed. I think it’s a quality project and I think it’s the perfect utilization of this land,” said Wendy Chamberlain, township resident and former Parma Township Supervisor. “I like what I see. It’s broken into subdivisions, and they are preserving the wetland areas in between.”

Once completed, the solar farm will generate enough electricity to power more than 33,000 homes while eliminating 161,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Representatives with Geronimo Power, a private company, declined to comment on how much the company has invested in constructing the new solar farm.

Construction began in early 2024 with site preparation and environmental considerations required by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

Multiple wetlands and habitats for Michigan’s only rattlesnake and protected species, the Eastern massasauga, have blocked off from the solar arrays and access paths to prevent destruction of the habitats.

The solar farm is expected to pay out $1.4 million annually in property tax to the township, the county and the local school districts, Springport Public Schools and the Western School District.

David Hicks, Consumers Energy vice president of electric supply development and origination, said the construction of the new solar farm is in line with goals of Consumers Energy’s efforts to gradually move away from using coal power plants.

“We intend to have 9,000 megawatts of solar on our system,” he said. “Of that 9,000 megawatts of solar, we intend to build and operate, own and operate about half that ourselves. The other half we’re relying on third party developers like Geronimo Power.”

Hicks said the plan to build more solar farms is ongoing and will continue into the next decade.

“Although it’s a relatively small part of our 9,000 megawatt overall goal of solar, this project is extraordinarily important to provide us that (power) resource flexibility,” Hicks said.

Geronimo Power currently operates renewable energy farms in Monroe and Clinton Counties. There are several more in development on the west side of the state.

“Along with this 125-megawatt project, we’ve got two other operating solar projects in the state,” David Reamer, chief development officer for Geronimo Power said. “In development we’ve also got about over 615 megawatts through multiple projects. So more to come within your state.”

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