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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:

Michigan EIBC’s Sherman in Renewable Energy World on What Needs to Be Part of a Clean Energy Bill Package

Michigan lawmakers are poised to approve a sweeping set of clean energy legislation, and the exact policies that end up passing will determine the future of energy in the state. The 100% clean energy standard is the most prominent part of the package, but in a new piece in Renewable Energy World, Michigan EIBC President Laura Sherman lays out other essential policies that should be passed along with the clean energy standard: 1) a reform for the process of siting new clean energy projects, 2) a target for the deployment of energy storage, 3) an elimination of the utility-imposed cap on the amount of distributed generation in Michigan, 4) an expansion of community solar programs so all Michiganders can access distributed energy and 5) a requirement to keep costs low by limiting utility ownership of projects.

“Without these policies, the shift to cleaner energy in Michigan would be less cost-effective than it can and should be” Sherman writes.

Read the whole piece here.

Michigan EIBC Testifies Before Committee on Homeowners’ Association Bill

On Oct. 5, Michigan EIBC Senior Director of Policy Grace Michienzi testified before the Michigan House Committee on Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation in support of HB 5028, a recently-introduced bill that would allow residents of homeowners’ associations to add rooftop solar, storage, EV charging equipment, heat pumps or other kinds of energy-saving improvements or modifications to their homes.

In her testimony, Michienzi said the bill would be a job creator for Michigan. 1.4 million Michiganders live in community associations, and in some cases, association rules have blocked the ability of homeowners to add technologies like heat pumps, EV chargers and rooftop solar panels.

“Legislation like HB 5028 ensures Michiganders are able to take advantage of technologies like energy efficiency upgrades and EV charging in their homes and will help to support and grow the thousands of clean energy jobs in their state,” Michienzi said. She mentioned that the recent Clean Jobs Midwest report, which identified Michigan as the number one state in the Midwest for new clean energy jobs, found that energy efficiency is the largest clean energy sector for jobs while electric vehicles is the fastest-growing sector.

The bill has specific provisions for rooftop solar that prohibit homeowners’ associations from creating standards that would significantly reduce production from rooftop solar. Michigan EIBC member companies have reported that “HOA restrictions on solar have resulted in a loss of sales while also preventing those homeowners from being able to decrease energy costs and increase reliability and resiliency with their on-site solar production,” Michienzi said.

House Clean Fuel Standard Bill Introduced

This week Rep. Joey Andrews (D-St. Joseph) introduced a bill, HB 5083, that would create a clean fuel standard for producers and suppliers of transportation fuels. The bill is the House version of SB 275, the Senate bill introduced earlier this year as part of the Clean Energy Future Plan.

The bill would set a standard for reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels, and empower the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to create a market for fuel producers and suppliers to trade carbon intensity credits.

The Michigan Clean Fuel Standard Coalition, supported by 58 partner organizations including Michigan EIBC, released a statement in support of the legislation.

“If Michigan is going to continue leading the automotive industry, we must provide the right economic signals to clean fuels producers, including EV charging providers, and this bill takes an important first step in reaching that attainable goal,” Michigan EIBC member FLO EV Charging Public Affairs Director Cory Bullis said in the statement.

“A Clean Fuel Standard House bill 5038 will help facilitate Michigan’s transportation future and support job growth. The latest Clean Jobs Midwest report showed an 11.2% increase in clean transportation jobs, making it the fastest growing clean energy sector. A clean fuel standard will help further grow Michigan businesses and create even more well-paying jobs, bringing new talent and investment to the state,” Michigan EIBC President Laura Sherman said in the statement.

Photos from the 11th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala

Thank you again to all who attended the 11th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala on Sept. 27 in Detroit! Read about the award winners and the event here. Here are some more photos from the event, and view even more photos on our Flickr account.

Michigan Energy News

Renewable energy and energy waste reduction met 25% of Michigan’s electricity needs last year, according to the new “Status of Renewable Energy, Distributed Generation, and Legacy Net Metering in Michigan” report from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC).
Attorney General Dana Nessel files comments with the MPSC calling for a Service Improvement Incentive Mechanism to motivate utilities to improve reliability.
The Mining Journal covers Rep. Jenn Hill (D-Marquette) being awarded Public Official of the Year at the 11th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala.
Consumers Energy says it will build an 85-MW solar facility at the site of the Karn coal-fired power plant.
Local tensions are threatening to block solar plus agriculture projects in Michigan.

National Energy News

Michigan EIBC member EVgo announces a new comprehensive maintenance program and releases best practices to promote greater industry-wide charger reliability.
Global carbon emissions from electricity production may be plateauing, according to data from the think tank Ember.
”Poor commissioning practices” are causing inverter-based resources, including battery storage systems, to fail, a report from the staffs of the North American Electric Reliability Corp. and Western Electricity Coordinating Council finds.
Clean energy resources are more than capable of providing essential reliability services, but changes to market design are needed to unlock the full capability, writes Sara Baldwin, senior director of the Electrification Program at Energy Innovation.

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.

Advanced Energy United

Policy Director – Expanding Wholesale Markets, MISO and SPP. Location: Remote.

Advanced Energy United is currently seeking a Director to join our Wholesale Markets team as we expand our engagement into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and Southwest Power Pool (SPP) markets (United’s current wholesale markets engagement is focused on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, ISO New England, and PJM Interconnection).

This role will be responsible for launching and leading United’s advocacy in these markets to increase opportunities for advanced energy technologies to compete and participate in wholesale markets. This will include working with United member companies to identify priorities and form positions; attending relevant stakeholder meetings; building relationships with MISO and SPP staff, relevant state representatives, and other stakeholders; and developing and advancing advocacy strategies.

Michigan and National Energy Events

The Institute for Energy Innovation (IEI) is holding its next Energy 101 Lunch & Learn about Solar + Storage on Oct. 18 at 12 pm at the Mackinac Room in the Anderson House Office Building in Lansing. Come learn more about what behind-the-meter solar and storage systems can do to protect Michiganders from outages and what policymakers can do to support their buildout. Please note this event is only for legislators, legislative staff administration officials and Michigan EIBC members. Register here.

Join Michigan EIBC member Foresight Management on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 10:00 am EST for this month’s Foresight Forum. Three energy procurement experts will discuss how to build a resilient and profitable approach to purchasing energy despite volatile seasons in the marketplace. This webinar will help you understand how to navigate dynamic regulatory environments, assess risk profiles, incorporate emerging technologies, and get ahead of the energy transition. Register here.

Opportunities

Clean Fuels Michigan is hiring a Member Engagement Member. This is a cross functional, business development-focused role with elements of communications and event planning. Find out more about this opportunity here.

Michigan EIBC member Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University is calling all innovators to apply for its Industrial Decarbonization Innovation Challenge. The goal of this challenge is to globally crowdsource best-in-class industrial decarbonization technologies and connect them with industrial corporate sponsors to accelerate their emission reduction goals and industrial decarbonization programs. Up to $250,000 in prizes will be made available to demonstrate and test best-in-class industrial decarbonization technologies in a real world setting.Click here to learn more about the challenge. Applications will close on Nov. 30.

Acadia Center is seeking to fill the role of Senior Director, Climate & Clean Energy Programs. Learn more here.

Consumers Energy plans to issue a RFP for solar generation projects in accordance with the company’s Proposed Course of Action in its Integrated Resource Plan. This forthcoming RFP is separate and distinct from the ongoing Consumers Energy 2023 VGP RFP for Wind and Solar generation projects.Enel X anticipates formally releasing the upcoming RFP and associated documents in October 2023.

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