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Welcome to the weekly newsletter of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (Michigan EIBC), the business voice for advanced energy in Michigan. Here’s what’s new this week:
Welcome Christian Koch, Our New Director of Legislative Affairs
We are excited to announce Christian Koch as Director of Legislative Affairs for Michigan EIBC and the Institute for Energy Innovation!
Christian began his new role at Michigan EIBC this week. Previously, he served as the External Affairs Manager at Michigan EIBC member Lean & Green Michigan, where he helped administer Michigan’s commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing program on behalf of nearly 50 local governments across the state. In this role, he worked with elected officials, businesses, economic developers and community organizations to advance energy efficiency and clean energy projects across Michigan through commercial PACE.
While pursuing a Master’s degree at the University of Michigan, Christian worked with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he conducted legal, market and regulatory policy research on the local, state and international levels to help inform circular economy practices within the solar industry. He also has prior work experience with the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, in Lansing government affairs and at the Michigan House of Representatives, where he worked for a member of the House Energy Committee.
Christian grew up in Ann Arbor and his professional experiences have given him the
opportunities to live in East Lansing, Lansing, Traverse City, and Detroit. He received his B.A. from Michigan State University’s James Madison College, where he majored in Social Relations & Policy and received a minor in Science, Technology, Environment & Public Policy. Christian will receive his M.S. from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) in May 2022.
10th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala—Tickets Now Available!
Tickets are now on sale for the 10th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Conference on April 26 at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing!
Typically our most popular event of the year, the Michigan Energy Innovators Conference provides attendees an opportunity to network, learn about innovations in advanced energy, and get an overview on the latest policy developments. This event includes: main-stage panels, several break-out panels with dozens of expert panelists, TED-style talks, and networking.
For information on sponsorship opportunities and benefits, please click here or contact Brianna Gerard at brianna@mieibc.org.
Attendees of our Conference are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the start of the event. The CDC defines fully vaccinated as two weeks after receiving a second shot of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. We will ask for proof of vaccine or negative test at registration. Additionally, as recommended by CDC guidance, Michigan EIBC strongly encourages that all attendees wear masks while indoors.
March Convening To Unveil Energy Storage Roadmap
Join us for our public and virtual Energy Storage Convening on March 14 that will present the culmination of a year of work into the soon-to-be-released roadmap for the future of energy storage in Michigan.
In 2020 the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) put out an RFP that sought “to create an energy storage roadmap to determine energy storage potential in Michigan and develop recommendations to inform investment and policies regarding energy storage.” Such a plan was necessary to ensure Michigan is able to access the grid performance and reliability benefits of energy storage in the future.
The Institute for Energy Innovation along with partners Michigan EIBC, 5 Lakes Energy and Michigan State University won that bid and have been working on the roadmap, focusing on a variety of storage technologies, such as batteries, thermal storage, compressed air storage, pumped storage and more.
The convening will feature small group discussion and discussion with experts, providing an excellent opportunity for both networking and strategizing to advance policies to support energy storage deployment in Michigan. Register for the convening here.
Renewing Members
Advanced Energy Economy (national associate member)
Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) is a national association of businesses that are making the energy we use secure, clean, and affordable. Advanced energy encompasses a broad range of products and services that constitute the best available technologies for meeting energy needs today and tomorrow. These include energy efficiency, demand response, energy storage, solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, electric vehicles, biofuels and smart grid. AEE represents more than 100 companies in the $238 billion U.S. advanced energy industry, which employs 3.6 million U.S. workers.
eCAMION
eCAMION USA Inc. engineers, manufactures and integrates energy storage systems. eCAMION using their energy storage systems also manufactures and integrates fast and super fast EV charging solutions.
Homeland Solar
Homeland Solar’s mission is to make owning one’s own power EASY and AFFORDABLE for individuals and organizations, public and private, commercial and residential. The company is an engineering, design and installation firm with a great professional reputation and a strong commitment to working with its customers to optimize energy solutions. Trust, reliability and economy are its hallmarks.
NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (together with its affiliated entities, “NextEra Energy Resources”), is a clean energy leader and is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with approximately 21,000 megawatts of net generating capacity, primarily in 36 states and Canada as of year-end 2018. NextEra Energy Resources, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. The business operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra Energy nuclear fleet, which is one of the largest in the United States. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc.
Solar Energy Industries Association (national associate member)
Celebrating its 46th anniversary in 2020, the Solar Energy Industries Association® is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry, which now employs more than 242,000 Americans. Through advocacy and education, SEIA® is building a strong solar industry to power America. SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to build jobs and diversity, champion the use of cost-competitive solar in America, remove market barriers and educate the public on the benefits of solar energy.
Michigan Energy News
- Consumers Energy announces it will install 200 EV charging stations around Michigan, including 100 fast chargers, by the end of next year.
- A nuclear power advocacy group asks Gov. Whitmer to prevent the Palisades nuclear plant from closing.
- GM’s planned $2.5 billion battery cell plant in Delta Township will be the single largest investment in the history of the Lansing area and have ripple effects across the region’s economy.
- A landfill gas power plant in Lansing has been converted to generate natural gas for Consumers Energy.
- Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor) talks to WEMU about establishing municipally-owned power and the roadblocks posed by the utilities.
- Groups have formed the MI Future, MI Power coalition to call for Consumers Energy to remove natural gas plant acquisition from its integrated resource plan
National Energy News
- The U.S. could switch to an electric powered by 100% renewable sources backed up by energy storage at low cost and with high reliability compared to our current system, a new study from Stanford University finds.
- Multiple different parts of the country and different industries are competing for $8 billion in federal funding for “clean hydrogen” hubs.
- The American Clean Power Association says more federal policy certainty for renewable energy and energy storage after reporting a 3% dip in clean energy installations in 2021 compared to 2020.
- The U.S. Department of Energy will spend $6 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for a Civil Nuclear Credit Program in which commercial nuclear reactors will bid for credits to keep them online.
- Michigan EIBC member Schneider Electric acquires rooftop solar digital marketplace EnergySage to expand its ability to offer services related to home electrification.
- Rhode Island’s attorney general attempts to block the sale of the state’s largest utility to PPL Corp. due to concerns that PPL has not shown it can meet Rhode Island’s emissions reductions goals.
Job Board
Attention Michigan EIBC members: if you have a job announcement you would like in the newsletter, please send a paragraph describing the position and a link to apply to Matt Bandyk at matt@mieibc.org. Please include in the email a specific end date for the job posting.
Energy Sciences
Position: Energy Efficiency Programs Outreach Professional, Oak Brook, Illinois
“We are looking for an experienced and talented Outreach Professional to lead the technical sales outreach effort to promote and increase participation in our energy efficiency utilities programs midstream (instant discount) and downstream residential and commercial. As an outreach professional for energy efficiency programs with Energy Sciences, you will join our team of degreed energy efficiency professionals helping utility customers take advantage of incentives to reduce energy use in residential and commercial buildings and industrial processes and plants.”
Lean & Green Michigan
Position: Communications and Business Associate
Lean & Green Michigan is seeking a motivated and self-directed individual to join the team, communicating through a variety of media about all aspects of the Lean & Green Michigan PACE program. The successful candidate should have excellent writing and communication skills, experience with social media, enthusiasm for working in the business community, environmental policy, renewable energy and energy efficiency, attention to detail, and strong desire to deploy energy and water efficiency and renewable energy in Michigan.
Michigan Energy Efficiency Contractors Association
Position: Part-Time Membership Director
The Membership Director will strengthen MEECA’s capacity by supporting the organization’s membership base. The Membership Director will develop and manage a program to regularly engage with member companies to serve their needs. This person will also streamline the annual renewal process, contribute to MEECA’s website and social media presence, and perform other duties assigned by the Executive Director. This is a part-time, remote position for a Michigan resident.
Ranger Power
Position: Assistant Development Manager
Ranger Power is seeking an Assistant Development Manager to join its development team in its Chicago office. As part of a small and dynamic development team, assistant development managers are expected to manage varying responsibilities as projects progress through the development process. As a developer at Ranger Power, you will drive all aspects of project development and strategy, including site prospecting and land acquisition, site analysis, landowner relations, permitting, interconnection, business development, and community engagement and outreach.
Michigan and National Energy Events
Join us on March 14 for a virtual public energy storage convening. The team from the Institute for Energy Innovation, 5 Lakes Energy, and Michigan State University will present an Energy Storage Roadmap for Michigan and an industry panel will discuss next steps to support energy storage deployment in Michigan. Register here.
The 10th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators will be held April 26 at the Kellogg Conference Center at MSU in East Lansing. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now.
Opportunities
To meet customer demand for the voluntary green pricing program (MIGreenPower), DTE is issuing an RFP for new wind and solar projects, both with and without energy storage. The projects must be ready to achieve commercial operation in 2023, be located in Michigan, and be interconnected to MISO or distribution level transmission. Anyone who is interested should register their company information on the Power Advocate website at this link for solar projects and/or this link for wind projects.EGLE Energy Services is offering $250,000 in grants to small manufacturers in Michigan to implement energy efficiency activities that can be completed by Aug. 31, 2022, with a maximum grant for $25,000 per manufacturer. Application deadline is April 30.
American Electric Power (AEP) is issuing an RFP that “seeks up to 800 MW of Wind resources, 500 MW of Solar resources, and other qualified capacity resources from thermal, standalone storage, emerging technologies, and other capacity resources.” AEP subsidiary Indiana Michigan Power identified the need for supply-side generation in its RFP.
Consumers Energy has released draft materials for its RFP to be issued in February that will solicit solar and wind generation projects in accordance with the company’s expansion of its Voluntary Green Pricing Program. This RFP will be administered by Enel X, affiliated with Michigan EIBC member Enel Green Power. According to the RFP administrator, “questions pertaining to this RFP or the proposal submittal process can be sent via email to Enel X by way of VGPRFP@enel.com. In the event others within your organization did not receive this notice and are interested in being added to the RFP listserv, please send a request via email to VGPRFP@enel.com with contact details for those to be added.” The Community Collaboration on Climate Change (C4) is seeking a full-time contract position to provide coordination of C4 leadership, organizational representatives, Grand Rapids residents, and the program deliverables.
State of Michigan DNR is going big in solar with projects in the ground, others in development and additional ones being planned. DNR has released a Request for Proposal for Prequalification Program for Renewable Energy PPAs: www.michigan.gov/sigmavss. Use “Guess Access” to get the RFP. A previous round of pre-qualifications netted solar companies that then were able to bid on a portfolio of DNR solar projects in Southwest Michigan. Another portfolio in the Northern Region is in the works for later this year. Only companies who pre-qualify can bid on future DNR solar projects. Please direct all correspondence to the Solicitation Manager, Laura Gyorkos at gyorkosL@michigan.gov.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s PlanetM Testing Grant gives mobility companies the opportunity to access testing facilities around the state, including Mcity at the University of Michigan. Apply here.