This newsletter was originally published on January 1, 2016.

Welcome to 2016! This is the first newsletter of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, and we are excited to share some BIG news.

Join us in Detroit for MEC3: Corporate Pathways to Advanced Energy: The Growth of Market Demand for Clean Energy Solutions

The Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, together with Advanced Energy Economy, Ceres, the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, and the World Resources Institute are hosting a one-day conference Corporate Pathways to Advanced Energy: The Growth of Market Demand for Clean Energy Solutions (Hyperlink to page) on February 2, 2016 at The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit. 

The conference will bring together thought leaders from the world’s most dynamic corporations who are investing in advanced energy projects across the globe. Our keynote speaker with be Switch Vice President of Strategy, Adam Kramer.

You can read more about the conference, including other speakers and panelists, at our new website. (Hyperlink to website) We hope to see you there!

 

Michigan Energy Clips

C&G News has a piece on how the Paris Climate agreement will affect Michigan energy policy.

WSJM has a story on Indiana Michigan Power starting a solar project in southwest Michigan.

Detroit CBS has a piece on the Quincy Mine Hoist in Keweenaw National Park just installed solar panels.

WMUK has a piece on a federal judge ruling that companies that own transmission lines in Michigan and several other states are overcharging customers.

MSPC is reporting that Commissioner George Quackenbush will be stepping down starting March 31, 2016. Governor Snyder has also designated Sally Talberg as the new chair.

Mark Olinyk, President of Harvest Energy Solutions, has an opinion article in the Lansing State Journal about the importance of creating a Michigan plan to complying with the Clean Power Plan.

Crain’s has two pieces on the upcoming energy debate in Lansing this quarter, one interviewing MAE Director Valerie Brader and the other with Speaker Kevin Cotter (R-Mt. Pleasant)

 

National Energy Clips

Bloomberg has a story on a 868 kW solar power purchase agreement for Waterlivet, NY.

Utility Dive also has a story about utilities role in community solar.

The Charlotte Business Journal has a piece on Duke Energy’s plan to build a 17 MW solar array to power a naval base in southwestern Indiana.

Bloomberg reports that SolarCity is planning to eliminate 550 jobs in Nevada after new fees were introduced.

New Jersey Spotlight has a piece on the state’s Board of Public Utilities setting aside $6 million in incentives to finance energy storage for renewables.

Utility Dive reports that 61 percent of capacity additions in 2015 were renewables.

Oregon utilities back plan to phase out coal used by 2030, and increase the state’s RPS to 50 percent by 2040, Utility Dive reports.

Utility Dive has a story about a new app that uses weather as a method of demand response.

 

Michigan Energy Events
Save the Date: Michigan EIBC is partnering with a number of other organizations for a Corporate Pathways to Renewable Energy conference on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 in Detroit. Additional details and speakers will be released soon

Additional Resources
Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) is home to PowerSuite, a suite of tools that allows companies a one-stop on-line portal to search, track, and collaborate on state legislation and regulatory proceedings from around the country.
 
PowerSuite includes both BillBoard, the AEE dashboard for managing state legislation, and DocketDash, the AEE dashboard for managing state public utility commission proceedings. Subscription required.
 
SolarPermit.org is a national solar permitting database that provides information on permitting for solar in jurisdictions across the country. The database includes a variety of information, from average permit turnaround times, to information required to be included in the permit, to contact information for individual jurisdictions. You can browse the requirements for the Michigan cities included in the database here.
 
The U.S. Department of Energy is offering A Guide to Federal Finance Facilities Available for Energy Efficiency Upgrades and Clean Energy Deployment. The downloadable guide provides information about the various federal financing programs available for energy efficiency and renewable energy — making it easier for state, local and tribal leaders, along with their partners in the private sector, to find capital for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
 
The Department of Energy has offers free public access to accepted peer-reviewed manuscripts or published scientific journal articles from projects funded by the DOE within 12 months of publication.