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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:
Read Michigan EIBC’s Sophia Schuster on EV Charging in the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s New Consumer Guide
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association has just released its Midwest Consumers’ Guide To The Energy Transition, a publication that serves as a “how-to resource to best engage with the programs, technologies, practices, and advocacy efforts driving energy efficiency, electrification, and local clean energy development in the Midwest.”
The guide features a contribution written by Michigan EIBC Policy Fellow Sophia Schuster titled “Fast and Reliable Electric Vehicle Charging Is Coming To A Highway Near You.”
Schuster writes about the recent and ongoing federal funding for EV charging infrastructure and how Michigan has been taking advantage of those opportunities. Then, the article discusses two major policy steps Michigan can take to build on this progress.
First, she calls for a clean fuel standard with carbon intensity targets and the opportunity for those who surpass the targets to generate credits. “The sale of these credits could be used to support the construction of more fast charging stations without taxpayer funding,” Schuster writes.
Second, “enhance the economics of charging by creating additional revenue streams for charging station owners through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging,” she writes. Michigan EIBC President Laura Sherman wrote in Utility Dive about specific ways to bring about these V2G opportunities.
Source: Kyle Kaminski/The ‘Gander Newsroom.
Townhall Event in East Lansing Hosted by Sen. Sam Singh Features Michigan EIBC’s Justin Carpenter
This week state Sen. Sam Singh and the Michigan League of Conservation Voters hosted a “Clean Energy Future Townhall” on Michigan State University’s campus. The event’s panelists, which included Michigan EIBC Director of Policy Justin Carpenter, discussed the economic and jobs impact of the package of clean energy legislation passed by Michigan lawmakers late last year.
Speaking on the legislation’s effect on Michigan’s ability to win federal funds Carpenter said that “this is a huge opportunity. This is a huge draw for one of the fastest growing sectors in the American economy,” as quoted by the Michigan news site The ‘Gander.
The townhall also featured Michigan Laborers District Council Director of Government Affairs Robert Joerg. “The jobs that are going to be created from this package of laws are high paying, high quality, well-trained, that can provide a true middle-class livelihood—which is what we’re striving for in Michigan,” Joerg said.
Report Looks At A Year of Federal Funding In Review
As the first full year of Inflation Reduction Act implementation, 2023 was one of the most significant years ever for federal funding for clean energy, and in a new report, “2023 In Review: A Year of Federal Climate Investments,” Atlas Public Policy summarizes all of the investment.
The report details how federal funding ramped up last year, tracking $74 billion in federal investments, excluding loans, in 2023. Atlas Public Policy’s Climate Program Portal identified $374 billion in appropriated funding for climate programs, and the report finds that federal agencies awarded nearly a third of that amount by the end of 2023.
New York, California, Maryland, Nevada and Kentucky were the states with the most climate investment last year, the report said.
Renewing Members
GEM Energy provides comprehensive services and technologies to improve customer business performance and reduce facility operation costs by providing expertise in engineering, procurement, construction, operations and maintenance. Services include combined heat and power (CHP) systems; HVAC and plumbing, facility management, utility procurement, solar development and building automation controls for the commercial, industrial, institutional and mission critical markets. GEM Energy is part of the Rudolph Libbe Group (RLG), a one-stop provider of construction and facility services ranging from site selection and construction to energy solutions and ongoing facility management. The full-service contractor, comprised of Rudolph Libbe Inc., GEM Inc., GEM Energy, Lehman Daman and Rudolph Libbe Properties, is focused on ensuring its customers succeed. Our headquarters is in Toledo with offices in Cleveland, Columbus and Lima, Ohio; Ithaca, New York; and Detroit, Michigan areas.
Savion, a Shell Group portfolio company operating on a stand-alone basis, is one of the largest, most technologically advanced utility-scale solar and energy storage project development companies in the United States. With a growing portfolio of more than 36.5 GW, Savion’s diverse team provides comprehensive services at each phase of renewable energy project development, from conception through construction. As part of this full-service model, Savion manages all aspects of development for customers, partners, and project host communities.
SEEL LLC
SEEL, formed in 2009, is a leading minority-owned energy program services company. Focusing on community, quality and cost-effectiveness, SEEL is one of the largest minority-owned energy management firms in the country.
SEEL is committed to providing opportunities to local displaced workers in all areas of operation to meet the needs of the company programming. SEEL has put in place a training program that converts former blue collar workers into green collar advocates, a skill set that prepares them, not only to work at SEEL, but for the future.
SEEL brings more than just innovation to energy services. We bring a commitment to bettering our community. Our award-winning design, installation, and customer service teams support homeowners, landlords and business owners – making a more cost–effective, environmentally sound energy program a simple choice.
SunShare Community Solar
Founded in 2011, SunShare is a full-service, end-to-end developer, owner, and operator of community solar gardens. As the nation’s oldest community solar company, SunShare’s mission is to give everyone access to renewable energy solutions.
We are a pioneer of community solar policy and program development, and we serve our communities by leasing or buying land from local farmers and landowners, on which we build community solar gardens. These gardens serve thousands of subscribers who can’t or don’t want to put solar panels on their roof, by allowing them to subscribe to a portion of the energy produced by the solar garden.
Michigan Energy News
- Coalition for Community Solar Access Midwest Regional Director Carlo F. Cavallaro writes in Bridge Michigan about the need for legislation “that will enable and scale community solar capacity in Michigan.”
- An academic paper points to a community solar project in L’Anse in the Upper Peninsula as an example of how community solar can advance energy justice.
- The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) floats a proposal in which utilities could be fined up to $10 million for not improving performance on outages.
- State Sen. Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton) introduces a bill that would repeal new laws giving the MPSC the ability to zone large scale clean energy projects.
National Energy News
- Small modular reactors are “too expensive, too slow and too risky” to count on to power the clean energy transition, according to a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
- Farmer interest in leasing their land for solar energy production continues to grow, according to a recent survey.
- The Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act will streamline the permitting process for clean energy projects in that state, writes Mel Mackin of Michigan EIBC trade organization member Ceres.
- Several campaigns to municipalize electric utilities are going on across the country.
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
Vice President (VP), Program Support & Engagement. Location: Remote.
The Vice President (VP), Program Support & Engagement, oversees program support operations, marketing, and the adoption of Elevate’s strategic priorities for Diversity, Racial Equity and Inclusion within programs we implement. The role is responsible for leading these teams in successfully meeting their goals and objectives, including ensuring teams are within budget and management is efficient and consistent across areas; the role also ensures that all teams have sufficient resources and structure to meet the program goals they support. The VP, Support Systems is part of Elevate’s senior leadership team and oversees all facets of program support, marketing, and DREI initiatives while leading strategic planning, relationship management, and continuous improvement. This position requires program administration knowledge, people management expertise, flexibility, relationship management with key partners, and the ability to manage time effectively between a diverse set of tasks and teams.
Diversity, Racial Equity, and Inclusion Lead. Location: Chicago.
The Diversity, Racial Equity, and Inclusion (DREI) Lead is responsible for the development and implementation (integration) of initiatives that promote diversity, racial equity, and inclusion (DREI) aligning with Elevate’s core vision, mission, values, and goals. The DREI Lead will work closely with the DREI support team and others, as needed, to ensure integration of DREI principles throughout Elevate programs, processes and practices, execute on strategic priorities, and drive successful outcomes. This Lead will serve as the subject matter expert on DREI and provide vision, expertise, and counsel on matters of diversity initiatives, strategic planning, education and research, and program implementation.
Michigan and National Energy Events
Registration is open for the Mid-America Regulatory Conference (MARC) 2024 Annual Conference on June 9-12 in Minneapolis.
Join Michigan EIBC trade organization member Ceres, Emerson Collective, Elemental Excelerator, Climate Power and E2 in Detroit on June 10 for the Clean Economy and Community Impact Summit. Special guests include Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. RSVP here.
The 68th Annual Michigan Energy Providers Conference will be held at the Grand Traverse Resort July 25-26. Register here.
Michigan EIBC trade organization member American Clean Power is holding a lunch celebrating Michigan’s progress on clean energy featuring Reps. Abraham Aiyash and Ranjeev Puri and Sen. Sam Singh on Aug. 14 at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. Please RSVP here by July 10.
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.
The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a funding opportunity announcement for grants to “fund research, development, and prototype or pilot scale technology validation and demonstration activities that will accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable technologies that increase efficiency and eliminate industrial GHG emissions for the most energy- and emissions- intensive industrial subsectors.” The deadline is June 11. Learn more here,
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.