Construction starts on solar power project at Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Construction has started on a solar power project at Michigan State University.

The East Lansing school says carports with solar arrays are being built at five parking lots. They'll cover most of the parking spaces in each lot and provide partial protection for vehicles from inclement weather.

The project will be owned by South Bend, Indiana-based Inovateus Solar and British Columbia, Canada-based Alterra Power. The number of parking spots isn't being affected. The school says the carports will be tall enough to cover RVs used for pregame tailgating.

The school says they'll generate about 5 percent of the electricity used on campus annually.

Michigan State is paying about $2.5 million to connect the arrays to the university's power grid. Project investors will pay about $20 million for construction and maintenance.