Community Benefits
Circle Power was founded on a core value that partner communities should realize substantial benefits from hosting renewable energy projects, tailored to their needs.
Renewable energy projects are major economic development opportunities for communities that create construction jobs and generate millions of dollars in tax revenue for local governments and schools. With every project we develop, Circle Power works with partner communities to put together a community benefit package that meets their needs.
Groveland Mine Solar impact at a Glance
Labor Budget
$20M
Local Recreation Grants & Scholarships
$150,000
Michigan Renewables Ready Communities Award Funding
$500,000
New Local Tax Revenues
$12.7 M
Revenue for Local Governments and Schools
In Michigan, utility-scale renewable energy projects pay industrial personal property taxes, which are based on the value of the installed equipment. Revenues from renewable energy projects support township and county services like roads, fire, and ambulance, as well as local operating budgets. They also fund any sinking fund or bond millages that local school districts have in place, in addition to intermediate school district and community college millages.
The Circle Power Property Tax Guarantee
Local officials need reliable, predictable revenue streams to make smart investments in equipment and infrastructure and save for a rainy day. This is why we pioneered the Property Tax Guarantee, backed by legally binding agreements that establish a floor for tax payments to local entities once projects are constructed.
The Guarantee is a commitment to make revenue payments to local governments and schools over a project’s useful life, regardless of changes in state tax policy. The agreements do not cap revenue, but provide local governments with certainty that they will receive guaranteed revenues annually over the life of the project.
Grants and Scholarships
Circle Power believes that communities should benefit from renewable energy projects as a core value of our business. In getting to know our partner communities, we work with stakeholders to identify their unique priorities – and then, we put together a giving package with the goal of strengthening the places, services, and institutions they value. Past giving packages have included a scholarship endowment, recreation grants for township facilities, and a grant to enable sportsmen to improve outdoor habitat and access to natural areas.
Working with the Building Trades
We pride ourselves on working with best-in-class partners to evaluate, design, and construct our projects. That commitment includes working with Michigan Building Trades affiliates to ensure that projects are built with union labor and meet federal wage and apprenticeship guidance for renewable energy projects.
Michigan’s Renewables Ready Communities Award
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is awarding $5,000 per megawatt to local governments that permit and host eligible utility-scale renewable energy projects. Fifty percent of the of the award is disbursed when the project begins construction, and 50% is disbursed when the project is operational. Local governments must use the funding to expand or create a service or program or invest in an infrastructure project.
There is no deadline to apply for this grant — applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the funding is depleted. To learn more about the award and application process, visit EGLE’s Renewables Ready Communities Award webpage.
