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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:

This Year’s Budget Is Critical For Michigan Fleet Electrification

A few months ago, Gov. Whitmer proposed an executive budget that would steer several hundred million dollars from federal funds toward EV and EV charging infrastructure investments, among other provisions relevant to advanced energy. In a new opinion piece in Energy News Network, Michigan EIBC President Laura Sherman and Advanced Energy United policy principal Samarth Medakkar break down the specific budget provisions related to mobility and explains why it is so important for Michigan’s fleet electrification goals that they be included in the final budget passed by the legislature.

A lot of work is going on to make sure the MI Healthy Climate Plan meets the goal of ensuring there are 2 million EVs on Michigan roads by 2030. But “the next year or so might be the most crucial time to determine the success of those efforts,” Sherman and Medakkar write, because so much of the federal funding made available for EVs and EV infrastructure through bills like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are coming into effect.

The Governor’s executive budget would direct funds to EV chargers for communities, homes, apartment buildings and businesses, set aside funds to continue switching state of Michigan fleets over to EVs, fund a “Michigan Clean Fleet Initiative” for counties, municipalities, airports and regional transportation authorities and help school districts obtain about 500 more electric school buses.

Those investments can help institutions save money through lower fuel costs for their fleets. They also can help overcome the psychological barriers to EV adoption by making the benefits of EVs more visible, Sherman and Medakkar write.

Read the full article here.

Lansing Energy 101 Session On Opportunities to Advance Clean Energy in the State Budget Coming Up in May

This year there are a vast amount of ways the state budget can influence advanced energy companies and the jobs they create, especially given federal funding opportunities. The Institute for Energy Innovation (IEI) and Evergreen Collaborative invite Michigan legislators, legislative staff and Michigan EIBC members to find out more about these opportunities on May 17 at the Energy 101 Lunch & Learn session on State Budget Opportunities at the Mackinac Room in the Anderson House Office Building.

Tickets Sold Out for the 11th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Conference on April 26!

Tickets are SOLD OUT for the 11th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Conference at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing on April 26!

The final breakout panel for the conference is focused on corporate sustainability and moderated by Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) Chair Dan Scripps.

This full-day conference—our most popular event of the year—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, multiple break-out panels with dozens of expert panelists, presentations from industry experts, and networking.

The keynote speaker will be Maeve Stropf, Manager of Carbon Strategy and Sustainability Customer Engagement at Steelcase Inc. Maeve leads the team responsible for the company’s carbon strategy development and implementation which includes maintaining carbon neutrality, progressing against ambitious science-based greenhouse gas emissions targets, and encouraging suppliers to set their own science-based targets. Relatedly, Maeve leads government affairs work in subject areas of climate, energy, and renewable energy in the State of Michigan and at the federal level in the US. She is also responsible for energy procurement in restructured power markets and global renewable energy procurement, and corporate reporting of energy and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to these responsibilities, Maeve manages the Sustainability Customer Engagement team for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa market.

We also invite you to become a sponsor of Michigan EIBC’s Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Conference! Sponsors will benefit from networking with advanced energy industry leaders and experts. For information on sponsorship opportunities and benefits, please click here or contact Brianna Gerard at brianna@mieibc.org.

Thank You To Our Sponsors!

GIGAWATT

MEGAWATT

KILOWATT

THE WATT

New Members

Luminaire Electrical Corp

Electrical Contracting

Nexamp

We’re working with communities, businesses, and municipalities to democratize clean energy and support U.S. energy independence.Nexamp subscribers receive an average of $275 annual electricity savings, and partners share in the profits of our unique vertically integrated model. Best practices are honored, operations are efficient, and each year our solution expands farther.

Verde Partners, LLC
Verde Partners is a renewable energy project development company focused on utility and community solar assets.

Michigan Energy News

Upcoming technical conferences to be held by the MPSC will take a deep dive into Michigan’s grid and how to reduce power outage duration.
Plans for a moratorium on utility-scale wind and solar in Clinton County could go forward.
Attorney General Dana Nessel indicates she will seek to reduce Consumers Energy’s $212 million natural gas rate increase request by 75%.
DTE’s 225-MW Meridian Wind Park in Saginaw and Midland counties opens as the state’s largest wind project.
Michigan is close to finalizing deals on clean energy-related and microchip industry projects that would be funded under the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund (SOAR), the Michigan Economic Development Corp. says.
A program from Traverse City’s Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities is trying to lower the price of solar installations with a group-buy model.

National Energy News

The U.S. Department of Energy will provide an up to $3 billion guarantee to Michigan EIBC member Sunnova Energy’s efforts to provide loans to homeowners for distributed energy in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, with a special focus on those with below-average credit scores.
A debate over how hydrogen should be treated under the Inflation Reduction Act continues to divide the clean energy community.
Under the Inflation Reduction Act, fewer communities may qualify as “energy communities,” in which clean energy projects that are sited are eligible for additional tax credits, than the IRS initially projected, Charles River Associates found.
“Of all of the clean energy resources at our disposal, community solar is the most uniquely positioned to democratize the system by combatting both energy inequity and the overly centralized grid we face today,” Coalition for Community Solar Access President and CEO Jeff Cramer writes in Energy News Network
Proposed legislation in New Hampshire would allow utilities in that state to bypass wholesale electricity markets and buy power directly from generators.

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.

Pivot Energy

Manager, Policy & Market Strategy. Location: Denver, Colo.

The Manager of Policy and Market Strategy (West) is at the forefront of distributed solar policy and will help guide the company’s development and advocacy strategies. Pivot operates nationwide, actively developing and owning commercial solar, community solar, small-utility and battery storage projects in more than a dozen states. We are also one of the leading low-income community solar providers. In an industry defined by regulation and legislation, it is an essential advantage to assess the impact of existing and new policies quickly and accurately, as well as to proactively shape policies where necessary.

Michigan and National Energy Events

Join Michigan EIBC member Martin Waymire and local public media broadcaster WKAR on Monday, April 24 at WKAR Studios in East Lansing for a full day of instruction with top PR professionals and journalists, designed for executives, media spokespersons and communication teams. Register here.

The Institute for Energy Innovation (IEI) and Evergreen Collaborative invite Michigan legislators, legislative staff and Michigan EIBC members to attend the May 17 Energy 101 Lunch & Learn session on State Budget Opportunities at the Mackinac Room in the Anderson House Office Building. Please register for this free event here.

The Michigan Climate Action Network is holding the 2023 Michigan Climate Summit at Oakland University on June 2. Register here.

On July 18-20, PlugVolt will be hosting Battery Seminar 2023 in Plymouth, Mich., featuring an entire day of in-depth technical tutorials on cutting-edge battery research presented by industry subject matter experts and world renowned professors from Top 50 U.S. Universities. The next two days will include complementary industry updates provided by speakers from Automotive and Grid Storage OEMs, major battery manufacturers and global Tier 1 system developers and suppliers. Attendees will also get an exclusive opportunity to tour INTERTEK Battery Testing Center of Excellence in Plymouth, MI (USA) firsthand, ask questions to resident experts, and enjoy some light appetizers and beverages while networking with industry peers. Register here.

Save the dates Aug. 6-9 for the Mid-America Regulatory Conference (MARC) Annual Meeting at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids.

Opportunities

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to expand the weatherization assistance program utilizing bipartisan infrastructure law funding for multi-family dwellings. The five-month award begins on May 1 and ends Sept. 30, 2023, with the total available amount being $1 million dollars. Successful applicants may be awarded funding annually through at least Sept. 30, 2028, based upon funding availability and acceptable performance. For more information or to apply, visit the EGrAMS website.

Dexter Community Schools requests proposals and qualifications for a new solar walkway canopy plus ground mount solar array with connection to the primary electric service unit at Wylie Elementary School. The RFP is available here and proposals are due April 27.

Indiana Michigan Power Co. has issued its 2023 All-Source RFP. Proposals are due May 26. Find the RFP documents and more information here.

Consumers Energy Company has announced it will seek competitive bids in response to a RFP from participants in the MISO Energy Market in accordance with the Company’s expansion of the Voluntary Green Pricing (“VGP”) Program. With this RFP, Consumers Energy will solicit proposals for solar and wind generation projects, separate and distinct from the ongoing Consumers Energy 2022 IRP RFP for solar generation projects. The RFP and associated documents will be released sometime in April 2023.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America with winning ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades. Follow Buildings UP on HeroX.com for all prize-related updates. Phase 1 submissions are due by July 18.

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