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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:

Keynote Speaker Announced for 12th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala

We are excited to announce that Amalgamated Bank Director of Climate Banking Nicole Steele will be the keynote speaker at our 12th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala on September 25th at The Gem Theatre in Detroit!

Nicole Steele is a nationally recognized leader and expert with over 20 years’ experience in clean energy, focusing on equitable deployment and workforce development. She recently joined Amalgamated Bank as the Director of Climate Banking where she will lead the bank’s efforts to execute on the potential of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Prior to joining Amalgamated, she was instrumental in the development of the GGRF programs including the National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF), Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA), and Solar for All (SFA) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and worked in partnership with the U.S. Treasury on the Inflation Reduction Act’s solar tax credits including the Low-Income Communities Bonus Tax Credit.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please reach out to Brianna. You can view the available sponsorship levels and benefits here. Please note that the Watt level is sold out. And thank you to our current sponsors, whose generosity helps to make our annual gala a huge success!

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U.S. Treasury: 117,000 Michigan Households Used Energy Tax Credits Last Year

Data released by the U.S. Treasury this week show that in 2023 more than 117,000 Michigan families used $134 million in tax credits from the Inflation Reduction to make energy improvements like installing residential solar or upgrading the energy efficiency of their homes or appliances.

More than $54 million came from credits for residential clean energy projects and more than $79 million came from energy efficiency measures like heat pumps, efficient air conditioners, insulation and new windows and doors.

The IRA “has lowered the cost of clean energy upgrades for more than 117,000 Michigan families, saving them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars annually on their utility bills for many years to come,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

Michigan Primary Winners Show Contrast on Energy Issues

This week Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers won their respective primaries, pitting them against each other in the race to replace Debbie Stabenow in the U.S. Senate. Slotkin and Rogers have different views on energy – in particular, on EV issues.

Slotkin has been a supporter of Biden administration efforts, through the Inflation Reduction Act and other policies, to shore up U.S. EV manufacturing. When the U.S. Department of Energy announced it would provide $500 million in funding to convert General Motors’ Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant to produce EVs, Slotkin issued a statement praising the move. “Whether or not you drive an EV today, or ever care to, there’s no denying they will be a big part of the vehicles of tomorrow… it’s essential to our economic and national security that electric vehicles, the batteries and components they run on, and other critical products are made in America,” she said.

Rogers, however, has been critical of government support for all-electric vehicles. In a Detroit Free Press op-ed last year, he said the Biden administration’s policies on EVs should be refocused on hybrid vehicles instead.

“The best part is by moving to hybrids we protect American jobs, including UAW jobs,” Rogers wrote. “We also wouldn’t rack up hundreds of billions in new government debt to build charging stations to power EVs because hybrids don’t need them.”

New Member

Air Doctors Heating and Cooling

Air Doctors Heating and Cooling is a fully licensed building performance contractor specializing in the HVACR, Electrical and Weatherization industries. Catering to the Southeast Michigan Region (Metro Detroit), we are a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) seeking to help with your enterprise’s diversity spending goals. Our professionally trained technicians are additionally enrolled in a Department of Labor Recognized Apprenticeship program, assuring the highest level of work performance for our customers. In addition to our award-winning apprentice program, our technicians receive specialized factory training at all major equipment manufacturer.

Renewing Members

Atwell LLC

Atwell, LLC is a national consulting, engineering, and construction services firm with offices throughout the country that deliver a broad range of strategic and creative solutions to clients in three core markets: real estate and land development, power and energy, and oil and gas. Atwell provides comprehensive turnkey services including land and right of way support, engineering, land surveying, environmental compliance and permitting, and project and program management.

ChargerHelp!
ChargerHelp! sits at the intersection of workforce development, adult learning, and clean technology enabling the on-demand diagnostics, maintenance, and repair of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. ChargerHelp! partners with network provider, manufacturers, and utility companies to ensure equitable EV charger reliability throughout the U.S.

Fieldworks Power, LLC
Fieldworks Power, LLC is a greenfield distributed energy development company focused on shaping new markets across the US. Fieldworks is led by a team of experienced renewable energy professionals who have been pioneers in their respective areas of expertise. The company works hand in hand with landowners, regulators, legislators, utilities and other stakeholders to thoughtfully and responsibly bring more renewables onto the electrical grid. Founded in 2023, Fieldworks is well capitalized via its financing structure with a top five pure play renewable energy independent power producer.

Foresight Management
Since 2007, Foresight has existed to champion energy management, accelerate sustainability and increase profitability for our clients. We serve commercial, industrial and institutional organizations across North America and the globe. Our interdisciplinary team of energy engineers, sustainability experts, data analysts, software engineers, procurement professionals and project managers work together to provide holistic, proactive and strategic solutions for our growing client base. Service areas include but are not limited to; utility bill collection, reporting and optimization, energy procurement consulting, facility energy audits, renewable energy feasibility studies, carbon emission calculations and reporting, energy modeling, commissioning and retro-commissioning.

ITC Holdings Corp.
ITC Holdings Corp., the nation’s largest independent electricity transmission company, has two operating subsidiaries in Michigan: ITC Transmission and METC (collectively, ITC Michigan). The systems comprise 8,700 circuit miles of transmission line serving the majority of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. ITC’s focus on transmission and grid development drives operational excellence and delivers superior value for customers, communities and other stakeholders.

NOVI Energy LLC
NOVI Energy is an energy consulting and energy infrastructure project development company established in 2002. They support utility, industrial, commercial, institutional, and governmental customers in the development and implementation of their short and long-term energy strategies. Their professionals have extensive knowledge in all areas of the energy value chain from production to consumption, and functional expertise in engineering, fuel, power, energy management, finance, and risk management. NOVI has substantial experience in conceptualizing, designing, and managing all aspects of construction through achieving commercial operations, asset management, and ownership of small to large scale power generation facilities using renewable, conventional, and other innovative technologies. They have provided a full range of power project development services, conducted feasibility analyses for their clients and themselves worldwide, and evaluated energy systems that use a range of fuel sources and technologies including solar, energy storage, wind, high-efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) facilities, natural gas-fueled simple and combined cycle turbines, biomass, biogas, and run-of-river hydro. NOVI’s current development portfolio of more than a billion dollars, includes large energy storage systems, utility scale solar PV systems including systems with battery-based energy storage, and natural gas fired combined-cycle and high efficiency CHP facilities. Their experience in the energy industry includes fuel sourcing, site acquisition, design, financing, permitting, construction, and operations of energy facilities. NOVI Energy has well over 100 years of collective experience in development, design, construction, and ownership of small to large-scale power and energy generation facilities utilizing both conventional and renewable fuel technologies.

Srinergy
Srinergy is a clean solar energy technology company with design and development capabilities, providing turn-key solar energy solutions for utility, commercial and industrial customers. We had great success in carving out a specialty niche for ourselves, and have earned an excellent reputation within the industry for reducing energy costs and reducing the carbon footprint for our customers.

Michigan Energy News

The reopening of the Palisades nuclear plant could provide a road map for the reopening of other shuttered nuclear reactors.
The MPSC holds a hearing in Marquette to hear from Upper Peninsula residents about the future of energy in the region.
Political support for EVs is a big campaign issue in swing states like Michigan.

National Energy News

A report from Michigan EIBC member ChargerHelp! provides a deep dive into charger reliability.
Load growth from data centers is causing utilities to pursue new fossil fuel and nuclear plants over grid-enhancing technologies, renewables and energy storage, Cool Planet Solutions founder Patty Durand writes in Utility Dive.
A U.S. Senate committee holds a hearing about new ways to boost the domestic EV industry.

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.

Elevate

Senior Director, Policy (Federal). Location: Chicago.
The Senior Director, Policy (Federal) supports Elevate’s mission by ensuring its mission and strategies are well-represented in the federal policy environment and brings Elevate’s expertise to federal policy actions. The Sr. Director, Policy (Federal) leads Elevate’s federal policy initiatives and advocacy efforts and collaborates with the Policy Team to inform integration of those efforts at the state and local levels; ensuring the furtherance of Elevate’s mission to advance clean, affordable energy, and water at the intersection of racial economic justice. The Sr. Director, Federal Policy is a newly created position and is responsible for furthering Elevate’s leadership and effectiveness in the federal space, creating opportunities to partner with, and is responsive to the needs of environmental justice and other historically underserved populations and communities. The Sr. Director, Federal Policy keeps Elevate staff, partners, stakeholders, and the broader policy ecosystem informed on relevant federal initiatives. The position represents Elevate in key White House and federal department initiatives and leads and serves on working groups, advisory groups, and other relevant federal policy forums.

Walker-Miller Energy Services

Program Manager. Location: Detroit
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Program Manager to lead a large-scale, high-profile residential energy efficiency and electrification program in Michigan. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 4 of experience in program management, a deep understanding of energy efficiency for both residential and multi-family sectors, and experience within electrification. This role requires strong leadership, excellent client interfacing skills, and the ability to manage diverse stakeholders effectively.

Outreach Manager. Location: Detroit.
We are seeking an experienced Outreach Manager to lead the outreach and engagement for a large-scale residential energy efficiency program in Michigan. The ideal candidate will have at least 3-5 years of outreach experience and a strong understanding of energy efficiency for residential and multi-family sectors. This role requires significant experience in outreach and engagement, and managing campaigns, with diverse stakeholders.

Field Operations Manager. Location: Detroit.
We are seeking an experienced Field Operations Manager to lead the field team and activities for a large-scale residential energy efficiency program in Michigan. The ideal candidate will have at least 3-5 years of experience in managing a field team and a strong understanding of energy efficiency for residential and multi-family sectors. This role requires significant experience in home and building assessments, quality assurance and quality control processes, and supervising a field team.

Michigan and National Energy Events

On Aug. 14, Michigan EIBC and the U.S. Department of Energy Onsite Energy Midwest Technical Assistance Partnership are hosting a webinar, “The Future of Combined Heat & Power (CHP) in Michigan – Updates in Light of the 2023 Energy Legislation.” Register here.

On Aug. 20, Michigan EGLE is holding a webinar titled “Michigan’s $129.1M Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Award: Creating the Renewables Ready Communities Program.” The webinar will provide an overview of the recently-awarded grant. Register here.

The RECESS24 National Black and Brown Clean Energy Summit will be held in Detroit on Sep. 9 to 11. Find more information here.

The 12th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala will be held in Detroit on Sept. 25. Tickets are available now.

The C3 Summit, sponsored by Michigan EIBC member Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan EGLE, Breakthrough Energy Fellows and American Made Challenge, will be held in Novi on Oct. 1. Find out more here.

Opportunities

The Michigan Public Service Commission has created a website tracking its progress implementing Public Acts 229, 231, 233, 234, and 235, passed on Nov. 8, 2023 and signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Nov. 28.

Michigan EGLE is launching the Renewables Ready Communities Award (RRCA), which makes Michigan municipalities that have, on or after October 1, 2023, begun physically hosting and performing local permitting for any portion of an eligible renewable energy project eligible for awards of $5,000 per MW. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until Sept. 30. More information on this opportunity can be found on the RRCA Webpage.

Michigan EGLE is offering at least $320,000 in funding MI Solar Communities-MI Solar Access Program. Applications will be accepted through March 31, 2025, or when funding is expended, whichever comes first. Find the request for proposals for MI Solar Access here.

Michigan EGLE has released an RFP for grants from its Clean Energy Workforce Development Program. The application deadline is July 30, 2025.

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