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ENVIRONMENTAL  
July | August 2026      AirportImprovement.com
MBS
Energy costs for large terminal 
buildings represent a significant 
chunk of most airports’ operating 
budgets, especially in places like central 
Michigan where winters are bitterly cold and 
heat is an absolute necessity for comfort. 
MBS International Airport (MBS)—located 
near the inside joint of the “thumb” on 
Michigan’s mitten shape—just completed 
a nearly $9.6 million green energy project 
that harnesses solar power to decrease 
those costs. 
With the recent enhancements, MBS also 
became one of only two airports in Michigan 
with solar-covered parking. Massive solar 
canopies now cover nearly 200 premium 
spaces—an effort that has not gone 
unrecognized. The Michigan Department of 
Transportation honored MBS with its 2026 
Commercial Airport of the Year award due in 
large part to this initiative. 
However, the solar project will do much 
more than reduce energy costs. MBS is 
also looking toward the future and readying 
its airfield for electric aircraft. 
Working with energy service company 
Veregy, design and engineering firm RS&H 
and aircraft charging manufacturer Beta 
Technologies, the airport has equipped 
its rental car and short-term parking lots 
with solar panel canopies and charging 
stations for electric vehicles, and has 
added solar arrays to provide power for 
the administration building and airfield 
electric vault. 
Tuned in to Business Travelers
Serving the communities of Midland, Bay City 
and Saginaw, MBS served almost 230,000 
passengers in 2025. Commercial service from 
Delta Connection and United Express ferries 
passengers to hubs in Detroit and Chicago, 
respectively. That gives 
MBS Airport Director 
James Canders an 
especially large set of 
primary stakeholders: 
two airlines and three 
owners (Bay County 
and the cities of Midland 
and Saginaw). To move 
the solar project forward, he had to secure 
the support of all five entities.   
Canders also has pivotal corporate 
customers to consider. The headquarters 
of Dow Chemical Company is in Midland, 
and General Motors has factories in Bay 
City and Saginaw. These giants and others 
keep flurries of business travelers flying 
through the airport. Plus, MBS sponsors 
a Los Angeles Dodgers major league 
MBS Int’l Harnesses Solar Power to Reduce Energy 
Costs and Prepare for Electric Aircraft
BY KRISTIN V. SHAW
JAMES CANDERS
FACTS&FIGURES 
Project: Adding Solar Infrastructure
Location: MBS Int’l Airport, in Freeland, MI
Applications: Solar canopies over rental car & 
short-term parking lots; solar arrays for administration 
building & airfield electrical vault
Key Benefits: Decreasing traditional energy costs 
with renewable alternative; providing charging units for 
electric vehicles; preparing to serve electric aircraft in 
the future
Project Cost: Nearly $9.6 million 
Funding: $5.28 million in bond proceeds; $3.97 
million in mix from airport’s general accounts & 
$930,000 earmarked for projects associated with rental 
car activities
Project Timeline: Notice to proceed received Dec. 
2024; permits submitted to FAA fall 2025; canopies 
complete Dec. 2025; Level 1 chargers installed May 2026 
Solar Modules: 1,486
Level 1 Chargers: 15
Level 2 Chargers: 4  
DC Fast Chargers: 4
Electric Aircraft Charger: 1
Energy Services: Veregy
FAA Permitting & Consulting: RS&H 
Power: Consumers Energy
Electric Aircraft Charging: Beta Technologies
Solar Panels: Heliene
Electrical Work: Halligan
Canopies: Solar Mounts

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