Electrification economics at the property level: MBS Airport's playbook for cutting bills and adding EV charging
By Keith Reynolds | Publisher & Editor, ChargedUp!
MBS International Airport in Freeland, Michigan, is close to finishing a $9.25 million solar panel and EV charging buildout designed to reduce operating costs and modernize the customer experience. Airport Director James Canders told the Midland Daily News the airport expects the new solar facilities to be running by May, with Phase 1 already producing power (but not yet officially turned on) while the airport waits for utility authorization. That last detail matters: even when the steel and panels are installed, the economics don’t start until the utility says the project can export or net against the meter.
A familiar CRE problem — solved in a very visible way
Airports operate like small cities: big roofs, big parking fields, and a constant need to keep costs predictable. MBS is treating its parking lots as energy assets. Phase 1 equips the rental-car return lot with solar carports and EV charging infrastructure. Phase 2 adds solar carports over premium (short-term) parking and additional ground-mounted arrays for airport facilities like the administration building and the airfield electric vault — plus more charging options, including Level 1, Level 2 and DC fast charging, and even a “beta” charger aimed at future electric aircraft charging.
For commercial real estate owners, the lesson isn’t “airports are special.” It’s that the financing and value stack looks increasingly familiar: cut electric bills, add a tenant/visitor amenity, and monetize the site in ways that don’t depend on raising rents.
The project math: solar canopy + charging + revenue
Veregy, the energy services firm behind the work, describes Phase 1 as a 342-kilowatt solar canopy installation with “make-ready” infrastructure for up to six Level 2 EV charging stations. In its project sheet, Veregy estimates annual solar production of 407,550 kWh and guaranteed annual energy savings of $26,849, plus an estimated $70,000 a year in additional revenue tied to parking fees. The same sheet lists a contract amount of $2,293,050 and a projected Inflation Reduction Act reimbursement of $632,294.
NTH Consultants, which supported the project’s design and construction work, separately confirms the scope: three carport solar arrays totaling 589 panels and “over 340 kilowatts” of output, providing covered parking for about 80 vehicles while preserving the lot’s usable capacity. It’s a practical reminder for owners considering solar canopies: the value isn’t only electrons — it’s also shade, snow/ice mitigation, and a more “premium” parking product you can price differently.
EV charging: built in, but not all owned by the airport
One nuance makes MBS’s approach especially relevant to landlords: the airport isn’t trying to own everything.
In the Midland Daily News report, Canders said the rental car companies are responsible for purchasing and installing their own EV charging kiosks, while the airport delivers the site infrastructure and the solar production that can offset facility consumption. That’s a common CRE structure: the property provides make-ready electrical capacity and “future-proofing,” while tenants (or a third-party operator) choose the chargers and manage the user experience.
Phase 2 is also clearly designed around customer pain points. Canders said the airport has seen long-term parkers lose charge and require a tow — a small operational headache that becomes a real customer experience issue. The airport plans four Level 2 chargers in premium parking and 20 Level 1 chargers in general parking, alongside a centrally located DC fast charger and electric aircraft charger. For property managers, the takeaway is straightforward: match charger type to dwell time. Long-term parkers don’t need ultra-fast charging; they need reliability and a way to avoid “dead car” moments.
Financing and procurement: bonds + cooperative purchasing
MBS is also showing how public (and quasi-public) owners are making electrification pencil without relying on general taxpayers. In a separate council coverage story, the Midland Daily News reported Midland City Council approved airport revenue bonds — tax-exempt and totaling $7.3 million — to fund solar canopies and EV chargers, with the airport emphasizing the bonds would not affect taxpayer dollars.
On procurement, Veregy notes the project was spotlighted by TIPS, a cooperative purchasing program, and says the airport used TIPS contracts to move from concept to contract with confidence in pricing. For private owners, you won’t use municipal bonds, but you can borrow the structure: pre-negotiated procurement pathways, standardized scopes, and fewer one-off engineering surprises.
Source: https://veregy.com/mbs-airport-tips-spotlight/
The “hidden” gating factor: utility approval and energization
If there’s one detail that should feel familiar to every developer, it’s this: MBS said it has been able to collect power since October but is still waiting for Consumers Energy to authorize activation. The airport also said Phase 2 arrays and canopies are installed and “hooked up,” and it is again waiting for utility approval to activate power collection.
That’s not a Michigan-only issue. For CRE portfolios, utility coordination is now part of underwriting. Projects don’t “go live” on your schedule — they go live when interconnection studies, inspections and approvals clear.
Why this matters for CRE owners
MBS’s project is a simple but powerful template:
Use parking lots as energy assets. Solar carports can offset building consumption while improving the parking product.
Split scope intelligently. Owners deliver make-ready + electrical capacity; tenants or operators own chargers and handle day-to-day operations.
Design charging to dwell time. Level 1 and Level 2 solve most long-dwell needs; DC fast is a targeted add-on.
Treat utility signoff as a milestone, not a formality. Energization and permission-to-operate can be the schedule bottleneck.
Electrification economics at the property level aren’t about one miracle technology. They’re about stacking modest wins — bill reduction, parking revenue, tenant satisfaction, and future readiness — into a project that can survive real-world constraints like interconnection timelines and construction in active lots. MBS didn’t reinvent anything. It packaged the tools in a way that makes the ROI legible — and that’s exactly what most portfolios need next.
