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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’s Michienzi Speaks on Building Codes Before House Committee
On March 12 Michigan EIBC Senior Director of Policy Grace Michienzi testified before the Michigan House Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), urging the committee to support the adoption of a new set of residential building codes that, as Michienzi said, “represents an approximate 11% improvement in energy efficiency through requirements for more efficient thermal envelopes, mechanical system efficiency, lighting efficiency, and other cost-effective improvements, compared to Michigan’s current energy code.”
The code in question is the 2021 residential energy code, which is poised to be adopted by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs’ Bureau of Construction Codes after years of discussion, a debate that Michienzi has participated in as a strong advocate for the adoption of a code that drives energy efficiency forward.
The 2021 residential energy code will save the average homeowner $327 annually on utility bills compared to Michigan’s current code, which results in savings of over $4,500 over 30 years. This is because “incremental investments in energy efficiency at the time of construction have been shown through studies to save homeowners money on their energy bills,” Michienzi said at the JCAR hearing. “Reducing household costs is always important, but with recent inflation and rising energy costs, we simply cannot afford to build homes that do not prioritize saving homeowners money on their utility bills.”
Applications Open for the Michigan Clean Energy Leaders 2025-2026 Cohort
The Michigan Clean Energy Leaders program (MCEL) is back this year, renewing its mission to build a diverse, collaborative, and deeply connected community of clean energy leaders in Michigan. A fellowship program and network, MCEL convenes leaders to build relationships, share knowledge and skills, and nurture collaboration to accelerate Michigan’s clean energy transition.
MCEL is seeking candidates — diverse in identity, background, geography and industry — who are in the first 10-15 years of a career in clean energy. Visit micleanenergyleaders.com today to submit your application or nominate someone you have in mind for this opportunity.
Participants will receive:
- a $1000 flexible participation stipend to cover travel, learning opportunities, and any other expenses associated with participation.
- Two retreat experiences, including lodging, food, and memorable programming and recreation.
- Deep connections with peers in the clean energy industry.
- Learning opportunities and access to dynamic speakers.
- And more!
The deadline to apply is April 28.
Register for 13th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Conference
Join us for our most popular event of the year! Register now for Michigan EIBC’s annual conference, to be held in East Lansing on April 2. This year’s keynote speaker will be Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II.
You can find all of the event details on our conference website, including panel topics and speakers. Sponsorship opportunities are also available, you can review them here. The deadline for sponsors to be included in our conference program is March 11th, please contact Brianna (brianna@mieibc.org) for more information.
ANNOUNCING BREAKOUT PANEL
Local Opportunities to Rapidly Decarbonize the Electric Grid
ANNOUNCING BREAKOUT PANEL
From Garage to Grid: The Future of Vehicle-Grid Integration
Thank you to our sponsors!
TERAWATT 
MEGAWATT
KILOWATT
the WATT
Renewing Members
BioWorks Energy is a full-service wastewater engineering and operations group specializing in the use anaerobic digestion for the purposes of power production. BioWorks operates its own waste to energy system utilizing anaerobic digestion which provides first-hand knowledge of optimized operations.
BioWorks Energy offers first in class services to deliver the highest return from operation of waste to energy facilities using anaerobic digestion. Whether it might be the initial planning stages or full scale operations, you can count on BioWorks Energy to be your partner every step of the way!
At Energy Solutions we focus on the big impacts. And we believe that the market economy can be a powerful force to deliver large-scale energy, carbon and water-use savings. For more than 25 years, our pioneering market transformation programs have delivered reliable, large-scale and cost-effective savings to our utility, government, and private sector clients across North America. We are a mission-led, employee-owned clean energy implementation firm whose team of smart, passionate people are committed to excellence and to building long-lasting, trusted relationships with our clients.
Palmetto Clean Technology
Palmetto is expanding access to clean energy with novel platform solutions that empower homeowners to go solar, enable businesses to grow, and drive environmental impact at scale. https://palmetto.com/
Michigan Energy News
- Consumers Energy announces Green Giving, a new renewable energy subscription program.
- DTE Energy is seeking proposals for 450 MW of energy storage.
- Michigan EIBC member Jupiter Power says it has secured funding for the 100-MW Tibbits battery storage project, which has a power purchase agreement with Consumers Energy.
- An American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy scorecard ranks Michigan first among the states, tied with California, for utility public benefits programs and policies.
National Energy News
- Repealing the Inflation Reduction Act would increase cumulative household energy costs by $32 billion from 2025 to 2035, according to a new report from Energy Innovation.
- A South Carolina utility is trying to sell its uncompleted nuclear reactors.
- In “a case with potentially seismic consequences,” the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments about whether or not the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can license a nuclear waste storage site in West Texas.
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.
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Engineer 12 – Building Trade Industry Engineer. Location: Lansing.
As a recognized resource, this position serves as the Building Trade Industry Engineer for EGLE’s Energy Services, with responsibilities for supporting operations and maintenance activities within the public (state and municipal units of government and institutions) and commercial buildings’ sectors. These duties include, but are not limited to, grant management; interfacing with the public; providing in-depth engineering technical assistance for optimization of energy intensive building operating systems; developing strategies for reducing energy consumption in building; benchmarking building operations; technical advising on performance contracting; authoring technical reports; and serving as a technical resource to EGLE on building matters.
Michigan and National Energy Events
The 13th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Conference will be held at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing on April 2. Last call for tickets! Register here.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s (EGLE) MI Healthy Climate Conference is taking place April 22-23 at the Huntington Place in Detroit. Find out more here.
Michigan EIBC is proud to support the 2025 Forth Roadmap Conference as a Community Partner! Join us Oct. 14-16, 2025 in Detroit at the nation’s leading electric transportation conference. Connect with industry leaders, explore emerging trends, and shape the future of mobility. Roadmap 2025 is where policymakers, utilities, automakers, and industry innovators come together to advance clean transportation solutions. Use MEIBC75 for $75 off full conference tickets. Find out more and register at roadmapforth.org. We hope to see you there!
Opportunities
Join United Agrivoltaics Heartland Alliance in supporting small farmers entering the renewable energy workforce! The alliance is a fiscally-sponsored nonprofit charity seeking additional enthusiastic Board and Advisory Council members to champion and amplify our mission, participate in projects and outreach, and help us to fully launch planned & piloted programs in workforce development, small agribusiness development, and practical integration of conservation and farming on solar facilities all around the region! Apply for board or advisory roles here, and email Sam at info@uaheartland.org to join the March drop-in working group calls and learn more!The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has announced the first in a series of Requests for Proposals, offering $5 million in initial funding to support the deployment of non-public Level 2 alternating current electric vehicle charging stations at existing multifamily housing units. Individual grant awards are capped at $300,000, with applicants required to provide a minimum 30% match of the total requested funds if the project is outside an environmental justice community. Find the RFP here. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis until all funds are allocated.
Michigan Clean Energy Leaders (MCEL), is seeking nominees for our next cohort. A fellowship program and network, MCEL convenes leaders to build relationships, share knowledge and skills, and nurture collaboration to accelerate Michigan’s clean energy transition. MCEL is seeking nominees — diverse in identity, background, geography and industry — who are in the first 10-15 years of a career in clean energy. Please visit micleanenergyleaders.com today to learn more and submit a nomination!
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has announced several new programs with funding available for energy-related projects, including the Agriculture and Rural Business Energy Incentive Program, the Small Manufacturers Retooling Program, the Grid Resiliency Program, the Water Energy Nexus Program and the Sponsorship Program.
The Electrification Coalition is calling on American businesses, trade associations, and workforce development organizations to urge the federal government to support the domestic EV manufacturing industry by maintaining clean vehicle tax policies and grants to continue to incentivize private investment. Read the letter here and fill out the form to add your organization as a signatory.
The Coalition for Green Capital (CGC) has an open, rolling solicitation seeking proposals for investment from project developers, sponsors, communities, private equity firms, financial intermediaries, co-lenders or others. Find out more information here.
The State of Michigan’s Michigan Infrastructure Office Technical Assistance Center has launched a website with information about how tax-exempt entities can take advantage of federal clean energy tax credits using elective pay.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program is accepting applications from agricultural producers and rural small businesses for grants and guaranteed loans There is an upcoming deadline on March 31. Find out more here.
Michigan EGLE is offering at least $320,000 in funding MI Solar Communities-MI Solar Access Program. Applications will be accepted through March 31 or when funding is expended, whichever comes first. Find the request for proposals for MI Solar Access here.
Michigan EGLE has released an RFP for grants from its Clean Energy Workforce Development Program. The application deadline is July 30.
Michigan State University’s Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE) is seeking a full-time Associate Professor (FT) to serve as the Director of the Institute of Public Utilities (IPU). Find out more about this position here.
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.
Rheaply, NextCycle Michigan and Michigan EGLE have launched the Michigan Materials Marketplace, which allows businesses to buy and sell excess materials so they can be reused instead of discarded.
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/or 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 funds are depleted and there is no specific deadline. More information on this opportunity can be found on the RRCA Webpage.