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Michigan has 24,000 known contaminated sites, a legacy of heavy manufacturing where industries carelessly discarded hazardous materials with minimal regulatory oversight. Taxpayers are often left to clean up these abandoned locations, known as brownfields, while the sheer volume of toxic sites has overwhelmed state regulators. With a little effort, these spaces can be more than a permanent blight on the landscape. Kelly Thayer, senior policy advocate with the states Environmental Law & Policy Center, envisions a future where Michigans brownfields are transformed into sites for diverse solar energy projects. The potential for new solar siting in Michigan aligns with growing nationwide support of the technology, according to a survey co-led by the University of Michigan. Among residents living within three miles of solar energy developments, positive opinions about the projects outnumbered negative ones by almost a 3-to-1 ratio. For the study, a large-scale solar project was defined as a ground-mounted photovoltaic system that generates one megawatt or more of direct current. The majority of respondents lived near new greenfield solar sitesdisturbed industrial locations or retiring coal plants were strongly preferred for solar development over forests or productive farmland. Thayer, from Frankfort on the shores of Lake Michigan, said there is already precedent for solar on former industrial land in his home state. A 120-megawatt solar array on a long-vacant mining operation in Michigans Upper Peninsula, for example, was met by residents with little controversy. Yet, a Michigan Department of Natural Resources proposal to transition a former oil-and-gas plot in Gaylord to solar energy was met with substantial public backlash in January. Following resident protests against tree and grassland removal for the solar array, the agency extended the public comment period and halted state land leases for solar projects. This limbo period gives Michigan a chance to readjust its solar siting approach, with an emphasis on distressed lands that would allow the technology to flourish, Thayer said. The work now is to chart the near-term future of how Michiganders get their energy, said Thayer, whose advocacy group focuses on renewable energy and clean transportation solutions for the Midwest. This can be talked about through the lens of climate or the environment, but the public health ramifications are enormous as well. A Vital Asset Last year, the state of Michigan won a $129 million grant from the EPA for utility-scale renewable energy projects, including those on brownfields. These orphan industrial plotslandfills, auto plants and other properties left to molder by private industryare vital assets for a state seeking to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, noted Thayer. Michigan aims to be a national climate action leader, driven by Governor Gretchen Whitmers 2050 carbon neutrality goals. Among the tenets of the MI Healthy Climate Plan is streamlining the siting process for wind, solar and battery storage projects. State legislation like Senate Bill 277, meanwhile, includes solar facilities as a permitted use for farmers under the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Act. Thayers organization, the Environmental Law & Policy Center, also views retiring coal plants as potential solar energy hubs, considering that they are already connected to the energy grid. For instance, the organization helped develop a blueprint for the Dan E. Karn coal plant site, slated as the future home for an 85-megawatt solar energy site expected to be operational in 2026. These are flat, highly-disturbed sites that also have a substation in place thats hard-wired to the grid, Thayer said. Having that infrastructure saves millions in development, and saves time because it takes four or five years to add new energy resources to the grid. Some Michigan clean energy projects are hindered by years-long grid connection delays as well as restrictive zoning ordinances that impede their development. In addition, Michigan lacks a comprehensive database of brownfields that detail key characteristics sought by solar developers, said Julie Lowe, brownfield coordinator for the remediation and redevelopment division of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Developers will have to use multiple resources to site projects on known sites of contamination, said Lowe. They need databases for tree canopy cover, or have to do site reconnaissance to eyeball the slope and see if it fits their needs. An Array of Solar Options EGLE does offer a list of guidelines for anyone asking to purchase a contaminated property for renewable energy development. Prospective buyers must conduct a two-phase Baseline Environmental Assessment before moving ahead with a project. Due diligence may encompass a deep dive into a sites former use, as well as comprehensive testing of soil or groundwater samples. You may have to go back to the 19th century to determine what the property was used for, Lowe said. And there might be drilling or radar work needed to see if theres something in the ground. For brownfields, we see solvents [in the soil] for dry cleaning or auto repair, because those were chemicals used in those activities. Various brownfield incentives and programs may subsidize environmental remediation or any additional assessment a site requires, added Lowe. EGLEs Brownfield Tax Increment Financing utilizes the rise in tax revenue from a revitalized site to reimburse developers for the cleanup and demolition work that generated that increase. That is not to say developers should always foot the bill, said Thayer. A series of polluter pay lawswhich force parties responsible for contamination to pay for site cleanup and remediation costsare currently being proposed by Michigan lawmakers. Thayer also advocates for virtual power plant programs, enabling utilities to pay homeowners with solar and battery storage to contribute stored power during peak demand. Community solar, which involves installing arrays on vacant lots or working farmlands, can be another multibillion-dollar boon for Michigan, said Thayer. According to a 2021 study by Michigan State University, community solar could deliver a nearly $1.5 billion boost to the states economy over the next 30 years. For now, Michigan officials should prioritize cleaning up and advancing solar energy projects on the states innumerable polluted brownfields, said Sarah Mills, a University of Michigan researcher who directs the Center for EmPowering Communities at the Graham Sustainability Institute. I go to meetings about large renewables projects, and its mostly for farmland, said Mills. People will say, Why here, why not a brownfield? From a community acceptance perspective, this is what most people consider a no-brainer. By Douglas J. Guth, Inside Climate News This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for its newsletter here.
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Summoning a robotaxi from your phone is not a futuristic fantasy since Waymo achieved full commercial deployment.
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The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. For years, banks have known their customer experience needs to catch up to the digital expectations set by tech and retail giants. Now, with AI dominating the boardroom agenda, the temptation is to bolt on yet another tool and call it transformation. But real progress doesnt come from piling on more toolsit comes from using AI to intelligently orchestrate smarter, more connected customer journeys. Recently, Ive spent time with several banking leaders exploring how theyre applying AI across their operations, from servicing and support to fraud detection and lending. What Ive seen confirms a pattern: The most successful organizations arent chasing hype. Theyre focused on orchestration. What AI is really solving for in banking For most consumers, banking is about trust, simplicity, and confidence. They want fast answers, frictionless support, and personalized help when it counts, whether theyre applying for a mortgage, reporting a lost card, or just resetting a password. Too often, those journeys are fragmented. Customers bounce between bots, forms, and phone calls. Agents are left trying to stitch together context. The experience is frustrating for both sides, and every one of those missed moments erodes trust. AI has the potential to fix this. But only if its used in the right way. The real opportunity isnt automation for automations sakeits intelligent orchestration. That means building systems where AI helps guide the customer from start to finish, hands off to a human when it makes sense, and ensures everyone involvedespecially the agenthas the context they need. From automation to orchestration In one conversation, a financial services team showed how they reimagined the mortgage prequalification journey. What stood out wasnt just the AIit was how the experience stayed focused, relevant, and responsive across every interaction. AI agents collected essential details, routed inquiries accurately, and passed full context to human advisors. Customers felt supported. Advisors were prepared. And the whole process moved faster. The shift was clear: not more technology, but better design. AI used not as a standalone fix, but as connective tissue across the customer journey. Its not about replacing peopleits about designing better systems Theres still a lot of fear that AI means fewer jobs. In reality, the best implementations are making people better at their jobs. Human agents become “super agents”equipped with real-time summaries, suggested responses, and full visibility into a customers journey. And this isn’t just about contact centers. Product, compliance, and CX teams are increasingly hands on in designing and refining AI-led experiencesoften without writing a single line of code. Thats a meaningful shift in how organizations move from experimentation to execution. Why connected experiences matter more than ever Consumers now expect connectedness, not just availability. In recent banking demos, AI agents were able to detect user intent more effectively than traditional natural language understanding systems, guide conversations toward specific outcomes, and seamlessly escalate when needed, all while maintaining continuity. In one example, a customer exploring refinancing options asked a mix of basic and advanced questions. The AI not only responded accurately, but also captured key qualifying details and facilitated a warm handoff to a human loan officer. The advisor didnt need to repeat questionsthe context traveled with the customer. Thats orchestration in action. From system of record to system of action Traditional systems were built to store data, not act on it. But modern platforms must be systems of action, capable of interpreting signals and responding in real time. This means using AI to go beyond logging interactions and instead drive proactive engagementsurfacing insights, anticipating needs, and guiding the next best action. Whether its a lost card or a mortgage inquiry, the most successful brands are rethinking the architecture behind the experiencenot just layering AI on top. This is a window of opportunity Retail has already started to rethink how it delivers value through AI. Banking is close behindbut with higher stakes, more regulation, and bigger complexity. That makes clarity even more important. This moment isnt about racing to launch the next chatbot. Its about reimagining how every part of the customer journey connectsand whether it delivers the kind of trust, empathy, and outcomes that consumers expect from their bank. AI is no longer a nice to have in the CX stackits becoming the connective infrastructure. But only if its applied intentionally, not reactively. The gap between brand ambitions and customer expectations is shrinking. And for banks that act now, with a focus on orchestration, that gap becomes a window of competitive advantage. The organizations that get this right wont just modernize. Theyll leadbecause customers will follow the brands that make things easier, safer, and smarter. John Sabino is CEO of LivePerson.
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