The recently completed 480 kW AC solar photovoltaic array in the southern part of Ann Arbor, Michigan, is now the city's largest solar project. This array at Steere Farm Wells is supplying power to a critical pumping facility for one of Ann Arbor's largest electricity consumers.

This collaboration is the result of cooperation between the Ann Arbor Water Services Department, the Information Technology Department, and the Office of Sustainability and Innovation (OSI), which led and funded the project under the city's A2ZERO carbon neutrality goals.

"There have been many changes," said Simi Barr, Senior Analyst for Municipal Operations at OSI. "It requires collaboration among numerous city staff and departments, as well as external consultants and contractors, to ensure that the systems we design achieve their intended goals without compromising the city's critical water infrastructure."

This device is the latest achievement of Ann Arbor in its mission to decarbonize its own operations and the entire city. In 2025, two additional municipal facilities were equipped with solar panels, the Veterans Memorial Park installed a solar carport, the Ann Arbor Police Department added an electric pursuit vehicle to its fleet, and four all-electric garbage trucks began collecting waste, along with several other actions to reduce the city's carbon footprint. More initiatives are expected in 2026, including the installation of at least three solar arrays, which include a residential energy storage project led by the city-owned utility Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility.

This work is part of A2ZERO, a plan by the City of Ann Arbor to achieve a just and equitable transition to carbon neutrality across the entire community by 2030.