Detroit Auto Show Features EVs and Advanced Mobility Solutions

This week Detroit plays host to the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The event, which runs from January 14 to January 27, attracts automakers from all over the world to showcase the latest innovations in the industry.
 
In this year’s iteration of the Auto Show, electric vehicles have been featured prominently alongside a shift toward automated, shared, and connected mobility solutions. General Motors announced that it will expand its electric vehicle offerings to include Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet and Cadillac unveiled its first electric crossover SUV. Also this week, Ford and Volkswagen announced a partnership to produce self-driving electric vehicles.
 
The industry focus on advanced mobility, including electric vehicles, runs in parallel with significant progress in Michigan’s public sector efforts to support advanced mobility solutions, including a decision last week by the Michigan Public Service Commission to approve an electric vehicle charging pilot program proposed by Consumers Energy. The pilot program will provide $10 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Michigan.
 
Governor Gretchen Whitmer visited the Auto Show this week and underscored the opportunity Michigan has to lead, commenting that: “Michigan is the center of research and development and innovation. You know, connected vehicles, autonomous. This is where mobility of the future is going to continue to be lead from and any company in the mobility space should continue to make a big investment here.”

House and Senate Energy Committee Assignments Announced

The Michigan House of Representatives committee assignments were announced this week following the announcement of Michigan Senate committee assignments earlier this month. Members of the House Energy Committee and Senate Energy & Technology Committee are listed below. A full list of House committee assignments and Senate committee assignments are also available. Michigan EIBC looks forward to working with all of the committee members to continue to make Michigan a leader in the advanced energy industry in 2019 and beyond.

House Energy Committee

Majority:

• Bellino (Chair)
• Wendzel (Vice Chair)
• Alexander
• Frederick
• Lower
• Filler
• Markkanen
• Mueller
• O’Malley
• Schroeder

Minority

• Lasinski (Minority Vice Chair)
• Sneller
• T. Carter
• Haadsma
• Kuppa
• Manoogian
• Shannon

Senate Energy & Technology Committee

Majority:

• Lauwers (Chair)
• Horn (Vice Chair)
• LaSata
• Nesbitt
• Barrett
• Bumstead
• Outman

Minority:

• McCann (Minority Vice Chair)
• Brinks
• McMorrow

Michigan Energy Stories

• Wolverine Power redeveloped a former industrial site with solar power.
• A utility watchdog says an issue advocacy group backed by Consumers Energy reported $15 million in contributions in 2017.
• General Motors is expected to announce Cadillac as its lead electric vehicle brand as it challenges Tesla.
• Residents living and conducting business near a proposed 400-acre solar farm in Genesee Township are concerned the multi-million-dollar development may have an impact on their serene environment.
• Township board members voted Jan. 8 to approve a new ordinance that would permit and regulate solar energy systems including the size and display of equipment, power output and space requirements.
• A potential EV charging network map and the approval of a utility EV pilot program are the latest steps in Michigan’s broader EV deployment plan. 
• Some residents are concerned a planned 400-acre solar project will disrupt the landscape in eastern Michigan.
• Consumers Energy Co. plans to move ahead quickly to begin a three-year $10 million electric vehicle charging program approved this week by the Michigan Public Service Commission.
• Consumers Energy has agreed to — for the near future — no longer give to 501c4 or 527 nonprofit organizations from its “corporate treasury monies,” as part of a settlement agreement it reached in a recent electric rate case.

National Energy Stories

• A report by Maine’s wind energy advisory commission finds no evidence that wind turbines significantly harm property values or tourism.
• A report recommends mileage-based road fees for electric vehicle owners to supplement existing gasoline fuel taxes for road funding.
• U.S. renewable energy additions are expected to far outpace natural gas in 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency.
• The World Resources Institute announced the launch of the New Urban Mobility(NUMO) alliance, a collaborative effort aimed at harnessing tech-based disruptions in the area of urban transportation to make cities more sustainable.
• Solar-and-storage pairings are becoming competitive with natural gas peaker plants, prompting nervousness in the gas industry.
• Global spending on clean energy totaled $332.1 billion in 2018, according to a new analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), with strong offshore wind investment reflecting growing interest in the eastern United States and other areas.
• New York announced updates to its commitment to reach 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040, doubling a distributed solar goal and more than tripling the state’s offshore wind target.
• The government shutdown has had minimal impacts on wind and solar thus far thanks to long development timelines.
• A report released Monday estimated that the lithium-ion (li-ion) battery global market size will exceed $60 billion by 2024.
• Maryland will put part of a $6 million settlement over Fiat Chrysler’s alleged diesel emissions test cheating toward electric school buses.
• Google will power two data centers with solar projects totaling 413 MW in Alabama and Tennessee.

Michigan Energy Events  

The North American International Auto Show is Jan. 14-27 in Detroit.

You are cordially invited to participate in the first meeting of the Third-Party Community Energy Projects Workgroup. The meeting will be held on Thursday, January 24, 2019 at 10 o’clock in the Lake Michigan Hearing Room of the Commission Office at 7109 West Saginaw Highway in Lansing. The meeting content will also be available remotely. A website with information regarding this workgroup (including agendas and contacts) may be found at https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/0,4639,7-159-16393-484912–,00.html.

Michigan EIBC members and legislators are invited to save the date for the Institute for Energy Innovation’s Energy 101 event for legislators on February 20^th at the Michigan Municipal League (208 N. Capitol Ave, Lansing; basement room) from 12:00 – 3:30pm. 

Join Michigan EIBC on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 for our 7th Annual Member Meeting at the MSU Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. 


National Energy Events    
 
Attend the Smart Cities International Symposium & Exhibition Jan. 22-24 in Chicago.

On January 23, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois, the Great Plains Institute and the diverse participants of the Midcontinent Transportation Electrification Collaborative (MTEC) will host a Transportation Electrification Summit.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Winter Policy Summit is February 10-13, 2019 in Washingtion DC. Click here for more information.

The 12th annual Storage Week is February 25-27 in San Francisco.

The Solar Power Finance & Investment Summit is March 19-21 in San Diego.
 
Attend the Midwest Renewable Energy Summit on April 16-18, 2019, in Chicago, IL.