This newsletter was originally published on April 4, 2018.

Annual Member Meeting is This Month

Michigan EIBC’s 6th Annual Member Meeting is April 30 at the Radisson in Lansing. The event will cover topics including the following:

Renewable Energy Siting: Opportunities and Challenges in the Midwest

Behind the Scenes: Microgrids, Nanogrids, and Power Electronics

Grid Modernization: The Distribution System as a Platform for Innovation

Demand Destruction: Discussions on Energy Efficiency

The How, When, Where, and Why of Commercial and Residential Energy Storage

Driving Demand for Advanced Energy

Powering Mobility: The Convergence of Electricity and Mobility

Peering into the Crystal Ball: What the 2018 Election could mean for Energy Policy

Speakers will include experts from the following organizations:

Apex Clean Energy

DTE Energy

eCamion

Fluence

General Motors

Geronimo Energy

Michigan CAT

MI Energy Efficiency Contractors Association

MI Public Service Commission

MISO

Oracle

Schneider Electric

Sesame Solar

Turning Point Energy

University of Michigan

Walker-Miller Energy Services

… and more!

 

Get your tickets today for this exciting event!

 

Michigan EIBC thanks our sponsors:

Event Sponsors

Megawatt Sponsors

   

 

Kilowatt Sponsors

   

 

DTE Energy Will Double Renewable Energy Capacity by 2022

DTE Energy has submitted its 2018 renewable energy plan to the Michigan Public Service Commission. In the plan, DTE proposed more than 1,000 additional megawatts of wind and solar projects. If approved, this plan (U-18232) would double the utility’s renewable energy capacity by 2022.

“The plan we have filed takes another significant next step toward our goal of cutting carbon emissions by more than 80 percent by 2050, while continuing to deliver reliable and affordable power for our 2.2 million customers,” said DTE Energy’s CEO, Gerry Anderson. “Due to our substantial investments and use of renewable energy, DTE has already reduced its carbon emissions by nearly 25 percent by driving investments of approximately $2.5 billion over the last 10 years in Michigan’s renewable energy sector and adding 1,000 megawatts of wind and solar capacity – enough clean energy to power more than 450,000 homes.”

DTE’s plan consists of four key parts:

• Bringing two new wind parks online in the next two years (the Pine River wind park in Gratiot County this year, and the Polaris wind park in 2019)
• Adding 300 megawatts of new wind capacity in 2020
• Building two additional wind parks in 2021 and 2022
• Adding solar capacity over the next three years

This announcement, which comes amidst DTE’s Certificate of Necessity (CON) case with the Michigan Public Service Commission for a new 1100 MW natural gas plant, was received with mixed responses. There are many open discussions at the MPSC that are impacted by changes in the resource mix including the Section 61 Voluntary Green Power Pricing programs, the CON case, and the Renewable Energy plan that will be woven together in the future through the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that was revised in the 2016 legislative overhaul. DTE is scheduled to file their first IRP under the expanded framework in 2019.

 

Member Highlight: Lean & Green MI Announces Largest PACE Project in State

Last week, Michigan EIBC member company Lean & Green Michigan, in partnership with member company Levin Energy Partners, announced a $5.5M PACE project to restore and upgrade the historic St. Clair Inn.

The project will include LED lighting upgrades and efficient appliances. The project is the second to close in Michigan in 2018 and the amount of money planned for the upgrade is more than twice that of any PACE project previously completed in the state.  

 

Michigan Energy Stories

• The Michigan Public Service Commission Released annual reports on energy waste reduction and renewable energy.
• New building-efficiency standards adopted in Michigan last year have resulted in higher upfront costs for contractors, but long-term savings are promised. 
• The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality approved a permit for Enbridge to install 22 more support anchors along Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac.
• The Lansing Board of Water and Light board approved a $500 million natural gas power plant.
• Consumers Energy tells independent generators “We don’t need you right now.”
• DTE’s plans for a new power plant at the Ford facility in Dearborn were scrutinized at a public hearing last week.
• A Union of Concerned Scientists blog asks “Will Michigan’s Public Service Commission Stand Strong and Reject DTE’s Billion-dollar Natural Gas Gamble?”
• An Energy & Policy Institute article suggests that high profits for pipelines may be behind DTE Energy’s proposed gas plant.
• Over 1,200 DTE customers in Ann Arbor agreed to pay higher rates for renewable energy.
• Wind energy is playing a leading role in Michigan utilities’ renewable energy plans.

Michigan Energy Leaders

• The Traverse City Munson Medical Center Cowell Family Cancer Center has earned LEED certification for its high-efficiency electric and mechanical systems.
• Carla Walker-Miller, president of Michigan EIBC member company Walker-Miller Energy Services and board member of Michigan EIBC, was featured in a Detroit Free Press article for her company’s business model.

 

National Energy Stories

• The 2018 federal budget bill demonstrates that Republican legislators are continuing to support clean energy despite the President’s agenda.
• Environmental groups are not hopeful that the U.S. EPA will keep the Clean Power Plan in place.
• If FERC incentivizes upgrades for data communication, analysis and control systems, it could save customers $2 billion per year, according to a new report.
• A Trump administration effort to weaken fuel economy standards could start a battle with California.
• E&E News looks back at where the Trump administration’s key regulatory rollbacks stand, one year after the President signed the “energy independence” order.
• A Department of Energy report says coal played a key role in maintaining grid reliability during a string of cold weather at the end of 2017.
• Utilities are racing to invest in new renewable energy projects before federal tax incentives expire.
• The EPA held a final “listening session” in Wyoming on its proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan.
• Ameren Illinois is testing utility pole sensors that could alert it to maintenance issues.
• According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. liquefied natural gas exports quadrupled in 2017.
• Vox looks at Russia’s cyberattacks on the U.S. grid.
• Falling prices for wind and solar energy are making it harder to justify building new natural gas plants.

National Energy Leaders

• Massachusetts leads the country in converting contaminated sites into clean energy projects.
• A data center in Cleveland is purchasing credits to offset its energy use with renewables.

 

Michigan Energy Events 
IPU MSU has announced the dates for the IPU Grid School: April 9-12 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Register here.
 
You’re invited to a Michigan Energy Workshop on Wednesday, April 25 from 9am to 12:00pm at the Governmental Center Training Room in Traverse City. This workshop is hosted by the City of Traverse City and SEEDS. Learn more and register here.
 
Michigan EIBC’s 6th Annual Member Meeting is scheduled for April 30. Register here.

Michigan EIBC’s member-only Lobby Day is May 1. Register here.
 
Michigan EIBC will host a Michigan Energy Forum on energy efficiency and lighting on June 11 at member company CLEAResult’s office in Detroit. Stay tuned for details!
 
On July 17-19, PlugVolt will be hosting its next Battery Seminar in Plymouth, Michigan (USA), featuring an entire day of in-depth training by EnerDelon Lithium Ion technology, alongside complementary industry updates by automotive and grid storage OEMs, global battery manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers. Attendees also get a tour of Intertek’s Battery Testing Center. Register here.
 
 
National Energy Events    
ACI invites you to “Microgrids East 2018,” on April 11-12 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Register here.
 
EUCI invites you to the Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) Summit April 16 – 17 in Portland, Oregon. Register here.
 
EUCI invites you to the Utility-Scale Solar Power Plant Fundamentals conference on April 18 – 19 in Portland, Oregon. Register here.
                                     
Midwest Energy Research Consortium (M-WERC) presents an event examining the trends and key issues driving energy efficiency in Wisconsin and surrounding states. Join M-WERC, our members, partners and invited guests on April 19 in Milwaukee to explore energy efficiency programs and technologies. Learn more and register to attend here!
 
Join solar & clean energy experts at the 5th annual Midwest Solar Expo & Smart Energy Symposium, April 30-May 2 in Minneapolis, MN. Exhibition, networking, solar farm visit, startup showcase, training, more. Register today!
 
Join Greentech Media for the 11th Solar Summit on May 1-2. Get 15% off with code ENN15.

EUCI invites you to the 2018 New York REV Summit, May 1-2 in Brooklyn, New York. Register here.
 
AWEA invites you to the Powering Forward conference May 7-10 in Chicago, Illinois. The conference, entitled WINDPOWER, will create an opportunity for the industry comes together to plan for the future and keep this success story growing. Register here.
 
EUCI invites you to “Blockchain Technology for the Energy Sector” May 8-9 in Houston, Texas. Register here.
 
EUCI invites you to the 2018 Residential Demand Charges Conference, May 15-16 in Nashville, Tennessee. Register here.
 
You’re invited to the 3rd Annual Grid Modernization Forum, May 23-24 in Chicago. This event examines the latest business strategies and technology advances for implementing the distributed, intelligent, and renewables-centric grid of the future. Learn more and register here. Use code MWEN for 20% off.

EUCI invites you to the Leadership Conference for Women in Energy 2018 on June 4-5 in St. Louis, Missouri. Register here.

Join ACI in San Francisco on June 6-7 for Grid-Scale Storage 2018 and learn through different panel discussions, site tours, workshops, and presentations on the significant market opportunities for energy storage. Register here.

EUCI invites you to the 2018 Western Transmission Summit: From Expansion to Modernization – Addressing the Changing Landscape of Transmission Planning and Investment. This event will be June 11-12 in Denver, Colorado. Register here.

EUCI invites you to a conference on the fundamentals of overhead distribution systems on June 14-15 in Baltimore, Maryland. Register here.  

You’re invited to present, advertise, exhibit, or sponsor at The Energy Fair, June 15-17 in Custer, Wisconsin. Learn more and register here.
 
You’re invited to the EV Roadmap 11, June 19-20 in Portland, Oregon. Register here.
 
You’re invited to the Grid Evolution Summit hosted by Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), in Washington, D.C., July 9-12. Register here.
 
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) invite you to Solar Power International, September 24-27, in Anaheim, California. Registration opens in spring of 2018 here.
 

Announcements and Opportunities
ARPA-E announced $16 million in funding for eight projects as part of the Innovative Natural-gas Technologies for Efficiency Gain in Reliable and Affordable Thermochemical Electricity-generation (INTEGRATE) program. 

The Rural Energy for America Program has published a Notice of Solicitation of Applications for Federal Fiscal Year 2018 in the Federal Register. The Application Templates and Forms are available at USDA Rural Development Offices or the National REAP Website at: www.rd.usda.gov/reap, under Forms and Resources.