Power Up Michigan: Why Every New and Rebuilt Building Must Go Solar

Abstract

This Note argues that Michigan should require solar energy systems on all new and reconstructed buildings. Although utility-scale solar can advance renewable-energy goals, large installations may also disturb habitats, degrade soil and water, displace wildlife, and alter rural landscapes. Rooftop solar offers a complementary approach that uses existing structures, limits land disturbance, and supports distributed energy generation. The Note examines Michigan’s constitutional, statutory, and police-power authority to adopt a statewide mandate, including the state’s environmental and land-use framework and recent clean-energy legislation. It also considers property-rights and cost concerns, concluding that a generally applicable building standard is distinct from the permit exactions addressed in Nollan and Dolan and can be supported by public-welfare objectives. Finally, the Note proposes a Michigan Solar Mandate Act with installation standards, enforcement procedures, financial assistance, and exemptions for technical infeasibility or undue hardship. A carefully designed rooftop-solar requirement, the Note concludes, could advance Michigan’s clean-energy and public-health goals while reducing the ecological and community impacts associated with ground-mounted development.

Suggested Citation

Haleigh Smith, Power Up Michigan: Why Every New and Rebuilt Building Must Go Solar, Mich. St. L. Rev. Forum (Oct. 4, 2026).