Solar Ypsi is close to kicking off another season of work trying to expand the use of solar power in Ypsilanti.
Solar Ypsi founder Dave Strenski says their first project will be to install solar panels on the roof of the Freighthouse in Depot Town. After that, they'll turn their attention to the building that houses the city's fire department.
"They need a new roof," Strenski says, "and so we want to try and figure out if they can integrate solar with that."
Strenski says they're working to figure out how many solar panels would be needed to make the fire house 100 percent solar powered.
He says a survey found about 1,800 roofs in the city that face south and don't have much tree cover, making them good candidates for solar panels.
Strenski says he's working with the city to get addresses for those properties so he can send out letters inviting home and business owners to get on the solar energy bandwagon.
The city has a goal of installing solar panels on 1,000 rooftops by 2020.