Bulldozers rumble and shutter on gravel paths, contrasting with the rolling green hills on the left side of the trail. Rows of metal poles decorate the fields, and the bulldozers set down the next component of the build: solar modules, or panels.
This is part of daily operations at Little Trout Solar Farm, a DTE solar project in Presque Isle County. The project is one of many that DTE Energy has been working on in order to advance cleaner energy in the state.
In November 2023, the Presque Isle County Planning Committee passed DTE’s proposal to build on the 800 acres. With a vote of 7-1, members of the board said it was a “difficult, but wise decision.”
After approval, DTE started preparing for the build. They didn’t break ground in Hawks until April 1, and a crew of roughly 300 people have been constructing rows of panels daily.
Dan Hunter is a construction lead on the project. He said there are currently 343,000 panels being built, and their work is divided into alphabetical lots to make workflow smoother.
Hunter said the construction process has roughly four phases:
- Laying the cable underground,
- Driving piles, or small metal support beams, into the ground,
- Racking torque tubes on top of the piles, and
- Installing the solar panels onto the torque tubes.
Additionally, the panels will be using new technology. As opposed to traditional panels that stay in place and face one direction, these panels will be able to move on their own.
“In the early mornings, they’ll be facing to the east,” Hunter said. “Throughout the day, those panels will slowly rotate to the west, tracking the sun.”
Matthew Wagner is the Manager of Renewable Energy Development for DTE. He said for the Little Trout Solar Project, the land in Hawks was leased from 17 landowners. While the project is currently using 800 acres to complete it, only about 200 acres will have solar panels built on them.
Wagner said once construction is completed, the land they’re currently using for equipment and traveling needs will be restored to its original condition or as close as possible.
“Once the project is finished, they’re gonna decompact any soil that’s compacted,” he said. “We’re gonna plant a lot of grass, a lot of pollinator type of vegetation, and there’s a lot of space in between.”
Wagner said the life expectancy of the panels — as in how long they would prove power to customers — is 25 years, but they’re hoping to extend its lifespan. In total, he said the panels should power 24,000 homes.
Despite the land leases passing, many members of the community have spoken out against it. One of those people is Laurie Smolinski, a woman who lives in Hawks and used to run a dairy farm in the area.
“I’m not very happy with it,” she said. “I think it’s a blight on the community.”
Smolinski said the solar farm is taking away from farmland opportunities. While she knows that DTE is planning to restore the land afterward, she said she believes it will never be usable to farm again.
“I think that food is the most renewable energy source that people have to have to live,” she said. “They have destroyed the soil and made 20-acre (gravel) parking lots … It’s basically a little city out there now.
“We take care of this land,” Smolinski said. “It’s in our families. It was here before we were born, and it’s gonna be here for our kids and grandkids. What kind of mess are we leaving them?”
Smolinski said she had other concerns about the solar farm, such as wildlife, the noises the panels emit, and other solar companies using the area in the future after DTE finishes construction.
“I’m not opposed to solar, I’m opposed to solar farms,” she said. “If they wanted solar panels, put them up on people’s houses where it’s gonna be used.”
Despite Smolinski’s comments, Wagner said he believes the community has become more open to the idea now that construction has begun.
He said since starting in April, the crew has invested locally for basic needs like food and shelter.
He also said the solar farm can financially help residents and the town at large, through better personal property tax rates and Environment Great Lakes and Energy awards the community can apply for.
“We’re excited about what that does for the community,” Wagner said. “That’s money that’s going everywhere.”
Ideally, the company is looking to have construction completed by October, but are able to work in winter as needed. DTE Energy officials said they expect the farm to be operational by 2025.
