News Photo by Temi Fadayomi The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees discusses updates on a proposed solar array for the campus during a meeting on Thursday.

ALPENA — Alpena Community College is making moves toward getting funding for a proposed six-acre solar array on the college’s campus.

The college board is considering installing a solar array that would generate power for the college, with the possibility of being able to sell any excess energy the college doesn’t use to Alpena Power Co. In addition to generating energy for the campus, the college would use the solar array as an educational tool for students in its electrical programs.

The array would be installed on property north of Lumberjack Meadows Disc Golf Course at 3249 Woodward Ave.

The college is seeking a state grant to fund the project.

“We are going to submit, God willing, a $4.61 million grant to the Michigan Public Service Commission’s Electrification, Infrastructure Enhancement, and Development Grant Program,” ACC President Don MacMaster told his Board of Trustees on Thursday. “The grant will pay all costs associated with having a six-acre solar array at ACC property on Woodward (Avenue).”

Dawn Stone, ACC’s dean of workforce development, told the board that the tie-in with educational programs would give the college an advantage when it comes to applying for the grant.

“I’m hopeful that that is our ace in the hole when it comes to requesting this funding, because I don’t suspect any other education institution is going to use this,” she said.

If the state approves the college’s grant request, the project is expected to take 14 months to complete, Stone said. That timeline would include assessments, zoning requirements, land preparations, a competitive bid process, installation, and enhancements to college curriculum, she said.

“Right now, the college on an annual basis uses about 2.1 to 2.3 megawatts of power annually,” ACC Vice President of Administration and Finance Nick Brege told the board on Thursday. “This array is scheduled to generate 2.5 megawatts of power in the first year. Then there’s some degradation year over year. But, starting out, it’ll cover all of it. It’ll offset the electric usage of the campus. But it won’t — it won’t eliminate our bill. Because, where the array is, it’s going to tie directly with the grid, there’s no good way to bring it back to campus. And what that means is it changes the price that we’re paid for the power.”