The Oden State Fish Hatchery will install solar panels to convert to renewable energy. Audits led the Department of Natural Resources to invoke this change as the six Michigan hatcheries take up one-sixth of their energy budget according to wildlife officials.
Scott Whitcomb, Senior Advisor for Wildlife and Public Lands with the DNR said it was difficult to find ample space to put the solar panels.
“We’re going through and trying to match up locations where we have a need with where we have available room to site the solar,” he said.
Whitcomb also said they’re goals extend outside of a single hatchery and they have began looking at other land to install the panels on.
“We’re looking at ways that we can put renewable energy at our facilities to not only help with the cost but to also have clean energy and do that in a way that’s good for the environment and Oden is the place that we wanted to start.”
Their first project will begin at the visitor center of the Oden location. He said they hope to have that area up and running on solar power by the end of the calendar year.
