Great Lakes Energy Cooperative and solar
Great Lakes Energy Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 123,277 homes in Michigan. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is a close call.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 21.3¢1% above Michigan average
- Typical bill
- $135632 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~42%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 15.8 yrs3 kW, cash
Export rules for Great Lakes Energy Cooperative customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) (Michigan rule).
Michigan's IOUs use a 'distributed generation' inflow/outflow tariff: you save the full retail rate on solar you use directly, but power sent to the grid is credited only at roughly the power-supply portion of the rate (about 8-15 cents depending on rate/time).
Solar for a typical Great Lakes Energy Cooperative home
| System | 3 kW (51% of 632 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $11,900 |
| First-year savings | $692 |
| Payback | 15.8 years |
| 25-year net | $9,716 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 546
- Share of customers
- 0.4%
- Residential solar capacity
- 4 MW
- Residential customers
- 123,277
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Great Lakes Energy Cooperative and solar
Does Great Lakes Energy Cooperative have net metering?
Great Lakes Energy Cooperative follows Michigan's rules: Michigan's IOUs use a 'distributed generation' inflow/outflow tariff: you save the full retail rate on solar you use directly, but power sent to the grid is credited only at roughly the power-supply portion of the rate (about 8-15 cents depending on rate/time).
How much does electricity cost with Great Lakes Energy Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 20.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 21.3¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 632 kWh a month, a bill of about $135.
Is solar worth it with Great Lakes Energy Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 3 kW system costing about $11,900 pays back in about 15.8 years, with $9,716 net over 25 years.
How many Great Lakes Energy Cooperative customers have solar?
About 546 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.4% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Great Lakes Energy Coop (EIA ID 38084). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.