Plains Township, Michigan-A new floating solar panel system will be installed in Plains Township.

Town council members approved an agreement with White Pine Renewables last week to build a floating solar panel system at the town’s water plant.

The agreement stipulates that White Pine Renewables will install and operate a floating solar panel system at its own expense, and the town will purchase electricity at a lower cost in the next 35 years.

White Pine says this is the first such project east of the Mississippi River in the United States.

Once fully operational, the system is expected to provide enough electricity for 112 households each year and can help the town save approximately US$2 million in the next 30 years.

It is expected to be put into operation at the end of next year or early 2023.