UP city leaders learn about energy improvements

IRONWOOD - City officials gathered again at the Ironwood Memorial Building Friday morning to learn about energy options available in the Upper Peninsula on the second day of the U.P. Education Summit hosted by the Michigan Municipal League.

Michael Larson, of Michigan Energy Options, said renewable options, like solar and wind, are more cost-efficient and more people are using them. But he said the problem is that the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow.

Typically, he said buildings in the U.P. are more than 50 years old and have "immense opportunity" to become more energy-efficient.

"We got 50-plus-year-old buildings that are poorly insulated, with incandescent light bulbs still in place and old heating and cooling systems," he said.

Earlier in the morning, Michael Brown, Ironwood's community development director, encouraged city officials to establish a master plan to help the city's progress.

Larson encouraged them to include energy use in the master plan. He said cities normally don't include energy use in their master plans, but it does help municipalities reduce energy consumption.

Larson said adoption of solar energy is "relatively" low in the eastern U.P. He said he knows of only 11 buildings in Marquette with solar panels installed.

The western U.P. has some of the highest energy costs in the country, Larson said. He said using solar panels in Houghton has the same payback as it does in southern California.

"Houghton has high energy costs and low sun production. California has high sun production and low energy costs," he said.

Over the years, he said the cost of using solar panels has come down. He said solar energy originally cost about $5 per watt and currently costs about $3 per watt and now is a good time to start becoming energy-efficient.