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August 12, 2023

Newsletter: Report Models State-Level Clean Energy Policies and More

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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 and 5 Lakes Energy Release Report on State-Level Clean Energy Policies 

    An analysis from Michigan EIBC and Michigan EIBC member 5 Lakes Energy prepared for Evergreen Action that was released this week models the economic effects of state-level clean energy policies. The report finds that these policies can increase economic growth and job creation in Michigan, significantly expand opportunities for federal investment into the state, and allow the state to meet the goals set by Gov. Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan, all while decreasing energy costs for the average Michigan household.

    At a press conference at the Detroit headquarters of Michigan EIBC member Walker-Miller Energy Services for the release of the report, Michigan EIBC was joined by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) and Rep. Donavan McKinney (D-Detroit). “We need to make sure we have the legislative and regulatory framework in place to capitalize on this historic opportunity that has been delivered to us by the Biden administration,” Gilchrist II said. The report lays out this opportunity “in more detail than perhaps I’ve ever seen” he said.

    The report, The Michigan Clean Energy Framework: Assessing the Economic and Health Benefits of Policies to Achieve Michigan’s Climate Goals, considers how state-level clean energy policies could put Michigan in a better position to take advantage of federal tax credits, grants, and rebates offered by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The policies modeled by the report “would provide more avenues for clean energy investment, allowing the state to better take advantage of these federal opportunities, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal investment that would flow into Michigan. Much of that investment would be lost if these supportive state clean energy policies are not implemented,” Michigan EIBC President Laura Sherman wrote in an article summarizing the report published in Energy News Network.

    Using economic modeling tools developed by RMI, the report concludes that the policies would lead to the creation of about 160,000 more jobs and over 2.5% higher state GDP growth by 2050. 
    The policies modeled in the report include:

    • Expand wind, solar, and storage through a new clean energy standard, and specifically expand rooftop solar by lifting caps on distributed energy and promoting community solar programs
    • Require more energy efficiency by strengthening energy waste reduction standards for utilities
    • Build enough electric vehicle charging stations to accommodate future growth in electric vehicles
    • Set targets for the installation of heat pumps to help electrify home heating
    • Accelerate the electrification of industrial processes such as metal fabrication

    “The report released today is a stark reminder that the clock is ticking on federal dollars, climate and our health,” Sen. Chang said in her remarks at Walker-Miller.

    Proposed clean energy policies in Michigan can dramatically reduce household energy costs and protect families from outages and severe weather events,” Rep. McKinney said in his remarks. He mentioned the February ice storm that led to widespread power outages, with some residents in his district losing power for 45 consecutive days.

     

    Source: GridLab

    Offshore Wind Potential for Great Lakes Strong, New Report Finds

    Prospects for offshore wind in the U.S. are promising, with the Great Lakes region hosting the most untapped potential for high-capacity offshore wind projects, according to a new report from GridLab, UC Berkeley’s Center for Environmental Public Policy and Energy Innovation.

    The report projected that in a high ambition scenario, the Great Lakes have the potential for 131 GW of offshore wind capacity, second among U.S. regions only to the Southeast (including Florida) region at 235 GW, and ahead of 113 GW for the Pacific coast, 111 GW for the Gulf coast, 97 GW for the Mid-Atlantic coast and 65 GW for the waters off New England.

    “While offshore wind activity is currently underway along the East Coast, West Coast, and Gulf of Mexico, activity in the Great Lakes is particularly nascent,” the report said. “The Great Lakes region has high wind speeds with capacity factors often averaging over 50%. Because of its strong wind resource potential and proximity to large population centers and transmission interconnection points, the model chooses to deploy a significant amount of new offshore wind capacity in the Great Lakes region.”

    “The long-term prospects for offshore wind remain promising as a result of improving technology and falling costs. In fact, U.S. offshore wind ambition should be far higher — billions in investment and hundreds of thousands of new jobs, along with a stable and clean grid, are at stake,” GridLab Program Manager Taylor McNair wrote in an article about the report for Utility Dive.

    Governor Announces Selections to Growing Michigan Together Council Workgroups

    Gov. Whitmer has recently announced selections for workgroups for the Growing Michigan Together Council, which was formed by the governor earlier this year to advise on policies to grow Michigan’s population.

    Among the selections is Kerry Duggan, CEO of Michigan EIBC member SustainabiliD, who was named to the Infrastructure & Place workgroup.

    Read the full list of selections here.


     

    Tickets Available for the 11th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala in Detroit on Sept. 27

    Michigan EIBC is excited to welcome our members, Michigan legislators and state officials, and the general public to our 11th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala on September 27th at The Eastern in Detroit. Gala is a wonderful opportunity to network with colleagues, policymakers, and industry experts, all while celebrating the individuals and businesses who succeeded in growing Michigan’s advanced energy sector. For more event information and to purchase tickets, click here.

    The keynote speaker will be Shalanda Baker, Director, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to her appointment, she was a Professor of Law, Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. She was the co-founder and co-director of the Initiative for Energy Justice, which provides technical law and policy support to communities on the front lines of climate change. Baker served as an Air Force officer prior to her honorable discharge pursuant to the then existing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and became a vocal advocate for repeal of the policy. She earned a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a J.D. from Northeastern University, and L.L.M. from the University of Wisconsin.

    If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please reach out to Brianna | brianna@mieibc.org. You can review sponsorship levels and benefits here.

    THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

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    Michigan Energy News

    • Michigan State University’s project that built 40,000 solar panels over 5,000 parking spaces is projected to generate $10 million worth of electricity over a span of 25 years and save the university from generating or purchasing approximately 15,000 megawatt hours of electricity, which equates to 5% to 6% of the energy consumption on campus.
    • The Detroit Free Press, MLive, the Detroit Metro Times, Michigan Advance and Lansing City Pulse cover Michigan EIBC’s press conference on the release of the new report.
    • LG Energy Solution is considering building its North American headquarters in Holland.
    • Consumers Energy says it will issue a RFP to explore the potential sale of 13 hydroelectric facilities.
    • “To ensure effective implementation and accountability, we must empower the Michigan Public Service Commission to consider critical factors such as climate change, affordability, equity, and community input in its decision-making processes,” writes Natural Resources Defense Council Michigan Clean Energy Advocate Derrell Slaughter in the Lansing State Journal.

    National Energy News

    • Tesla makes a play for wireless EV charging with a recent acquisition, but commercializing that technology faces challenges.
    • July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, according to the European Union’s climate observatory.
    • Gravity energy storage developer Energy Vault Holdings signs a license and royalty agreement with an unnamed renewable energy developer for projects in the western U.S.
    • Maxeon Solar Technologies says it will build a record-sized silicon solar cell and module factory in New Mexico.
    • Four of the country’s power grid operators submit comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed greenhouse gas emissions rule on power plants, arguing that the rule could harm reliability.

    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.

    Cultivate Power

    Director, Community Partnerships & Investment. Location: Chicago (Remote Possible).

    Cultivate Power is seeking a Director of Community Partnerships & Investment. This person will help originate, develop and foster community partnership and investment opportunities in the host communities and regions where Cultivate Power develops distributed energy projects. Additionally, the Director will work to build systems and standardized processes for engaging communities on every project. This is a unique role with the opportunity for the Director to drive industry-leading impact to create greater inclusion, equity and benefit to communities through innovation and creation of new programs and partnerships. The Director will report directly to one of the Managing Directors and co-founders of Cultivate Power. 

     

    Michigan and National Energy Events

    The Battery Show North America 2023 is taking place Sept. 12-14 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Register here.

    Tickets are available for the 11th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala on Sept. 27 at The Eastern in Detroit.

    Opportunities

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s $7 billion Solar for All competition will award up to 60 grants to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofit recipients to expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities primed for distributed solar investment. Anyone interested must submit a notice of intent (NOI) by the applicable deadline. The NOI deadlines are July 31 for states and territories, August 14 for municipalities and NGOs and August 28 for Tribal governments.

    The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Office of Climate and Energy have posted a solicitation for support for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program. The RFP can be found on the state of Michigan’s solicitation website. Questions are due Aug. 17 and proposals are due Aug. 30.

    Applications for the 1 Hotels Fellowship at Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) are now open. 1 Hotels Fellows will work in partnership with NRDC’s E2 program to identify pressing environmental issues and needs across the country, and then organize and execute projects that help communicate and amplify the business and economic case for smart policies to address these issues. Applications are due by Sept. 5.

    The Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity (LEO) has two job openings: Director of Mobility Policy, who will be an advisor to LEO and serve as the lead policy staffer for the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, and Policy Director, who will cover a broad portfolio of issues across the entire department including workforce development, economic mobility and workplace rights and safety.

    Organizations currently have the opportunity to work with a grad student from the University of Michigan School for Environment & Sustainability (SEAS) for their Master’s Projects. In these projects, “students work on research teams with client organizations and faculty advisors to address complex environmental issues and design innovative, impactful products,” according to SEAS. Learn more here. Proposals for projects are due by September.

    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.

    The City of Detroit has issued a Request for Information seeking feedback on the number and type of projects that would best achieve the goal of generating enough renewable energy to power municipal operations and buildings with locally generated and City-owned solar power. Find more information here. Responses are due Oct. 2.