Farmington Hills homeowners curious about rooftop solar can get free, sales-free answers at a county-hosted workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Oakland County's Office of Sustainability is bringing its Solarize Oakland County series to Craft Breww City, 27843 Orchard Lake Road, for a two-hour session covering installation basics, costs and long-term savings. The county announced the event on its official Facebook page.

The evening splits into two parts. A session for commercial properties, nonprofits and public-sector organizations starts at 6 p.m. A residential session follows at 7 p.m.

No one will try to sell you anything.

The program pairs the county's sustainability office with the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association (GLREA), which vets the participating solar installers. Attendees who later decide to move forward with an installation qualify for a 5–15% bulk-buy discount, according to the Oakland County Blog.

The federal residential solar tax credit, which had offered a 30% break on home installations and was originally set to run through 2032, ended in December 2025 after Congress cut it short, CBS Detroit reported in a March 31 article on Michigan's growing Solarize movement. Financial incentives for businesses and houses of worship remain active through the end of 2027.

Julie Lyons Bricker, Oakland County's chief sustainability officer, described the program's philosophy in that March CBS Detroit report. "We really want to position ourselves as a resource, as an advocate, and relationship builder," Bricker said.

The Sept. 15 gathering is the fifth event in the countywide Solarize series. The sustainability office, which launched in 2021 and covers Oakland County's 62 cities, townships and villages, runs the program. Registration is free but required; a sign-up link is available on the county's social media pages.