City of Grand Rapids photo of Butterworth Solar Property
By Jan O'Connell, Senior West Michigan Organizer
What started as an unlined toxic dump, aka the Grand Rapids Butterworth Landfill near the Grand River and downtown GR back in 1950, was eventually closed by the EPA in 1973 because of improper operations. The environmental Clean-up ended in 2000, complete with a 4-foot clay cap over the entire area.
In 2015, Mayor George Heartwell explored the possibility of using a part of the 190-acre Butterworth site to install a solar array. However, the project encountered several issues and roadblocks, which caused it to be put on and off the backburner for years.
Now, going into 2024, we are finally seeing the solar project come to fruition. A request for information/ request for qualifications was sent out this past Fall, with a good number of eligible entities responding by the December 29th deadline. The 190 acres and 145 acres owned by the City of GR are looking at 60 acres available for a 15-16MW solar project. To assist in the funding, a grant was also submitted to the EPA for their $7 billion ‘Solar for All’ project.
If you have any questions on the project, contact Jan O'Connell by email (jan.oconnell@sierraclub.org) or phone (616-956-6646)
More information:
- https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2018/06/neighbors_to_grand_rapids_supe.html
- https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/solar-all Solar for All
- https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Government/Departments/Sustainability/Climate-Change/Butterworth-Solar Butterworth Solar
- https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2023/05/grand-rapids-to-seek-creative-ideas-to-finally-bring-solar-arrays-to-former-landfill-site.html