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:

Read Michigan EIBC’s Laura Sherman in the Detroit News

“Michigan’s future depends on a robust clean energy future,” and securing that future means passing a 100% carbon-free energy standard, Michigan EIBC President Laura Sherman writes in a new op-ed in the Detroit News.

Passing that standard and implementing other state-level clean energy policies will allow Michigan “to also capture $5.3 billion more in federal funds and tax credits that can further help residents save on household energy costs,” Sherman writes, citing the report that Michigan EIBC and Michigan EIBC member 5 Lakes Energy prepared for Evergreen Action.

In addition to these economic development benefits, continuing Michigan’s shift toward more renewable energy, energy storage and energy efficiency can also tackle the problem of unreliable electricity. “Small, decentralized rooftop solar installations and storage on buildings and homes, all connected by software, can further enhance energy reliability and grid resilience, while promoting equitable access to clean energy in communities across Michigan,” she writes.

“We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines while the clean energy future grows all around us. We have a chance to seize new opportunities in clean energy that can make Michigan a forward-looking, healthier and economically vibrant state,” Sherman writes in the piece.

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Michigan EIBC’s Grace Michienzi Speaks on Michigan as a Midwestern Clean Energy Leader

Michigan EIBC Senior Director of Policy Grace Michienzi recently spoke on a panel at the Gateway to Solar Conference at the Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association (MnSEIA) where she highlighted the unique factors about Michigan that have allowed it to stand out in the Midwest for renewable energy, and what it can do to grow the industry even faster.

“Michigan is a leader in the Midwest in clean energy job growth, as shown in the Clean Jobs Midwest report,” Grace said in the panel discussion. “We also have a great opportunity to take significant action in expanding the solar industry in Michigan, including setting a strong renewable portfolio standard, raising the cap on rooftop solar, and making siting more efficient for large-scale solar, wind, and energy storage projects.”

She discussed how the legislation being considered in Lansing right now has the potential to move Michigan forward on distributed generation and behind-the-meter solar, community solar and siting.

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Podcast Highlights Work and Research in Michigan on Solar Panel Recycling

The solar industry is continually searching for ways to make the production of solar panels more sustainable by recycling them, and good examples of those efforts can be found in a new podcast from Grist and Interlochen Public Radio that extensively quotes Dr. Annick Anctil, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Michigan State University and member of the board of directors of the Institute for Energy Innovation, and John Kinch, executive director of Michigan EIBC member Michigan Energy Options (MEO).

The podcast traces Dr. Anctil’s work into second life for solar modules from the Brookhaven National Laboratory to her current role at MSU. 

For an on-the-ground example of a Michigan renewable energy project looking for ways to recycle panels, the podcast talks to Kinch about the East Lansing Community Solar Park, which launched in 2019. Upon the project’s completion, Kinch tells Interlochen Public Radio he thought, “Holy cow, when we’re done with this project, am I going to remove a thousand solar panels from a landfill and go put them underground in a landfill somewhere else?”

To tackle that problem, MEO is working with the state to develop secondary business market models for solar panels.

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New Member

Crossroads Solar
Solar panel manufacturer. We manufacture panels for the residential, commercial and industrial and community solar segments of the market. We also have a line of panels designed for the RV and marine markets. Crossroads Solar has a workforce development model based around hiring only men and women transitioning from prison back into society. We are American owned and American made, and we remake lives and opportunities as we make solar panels.  

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Michigan Energy News

• The Michigan House Energy, Communications and Technology Committee advances the bills to streamline permitting and siting of clean energy projects.
• Michigan lawmakers have collected $176,000 from DTE in contributions since the February ice storm.
• Consumers Energy receives $100 million from the federal government in Grid Resilience Utility and Industry Grants to support distribution grid modernization.
• Consumers Energy is hosting stakeholder meetings regarding the future of its hydroelectric dams.
• Kalamazoo is awarded over $3 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce energy waste in housing.

National Energy News

• The U.S. Department of Energy announces nearly $3.5 billion in awards for grid modernization through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program.
• Starbucks becomes an anchor subscriber for a major community battery storage effort in New York City.
• Curtailment of wind and solar energy is set to rise in the U.S. in coming years, in particular, in Texas.
• The Biden administration is beginning to impose new rules on natural gas pipelines.
• The DOE’s new Earthshot initiative seeks to reduce energy bills in affordable housing.

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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.

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Michigan and National Energy Events

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.

Michigan EIBC member Walker-Miller Energy Services is presenting the inaugural Resilience and Equity in the Clean Energy Sector Summit (RECESS23) on Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 in Detroit. 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.