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:

 

Our 13th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Conference Was A Huge Success!

Thank you to all who attended the 13th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Conference on April 2 in East Lansing.

The conference kicked off with opening remarks by keynote speaker Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II. Throughout the day, with networking breaks in between, attendees participated in several panel discussions:

Closing the Loop: Developing a Cradle-to-Cradle Advanced Energy Ecosystem
Moderator:  Dr. Annick Anctil, Associate Professor, Michigan State University
Panelists:

• Julie Staveland, Assistant Division Director, Michigan EGLE
• Tyler Kanczuzewski, VP of Sustainability, Inovateus Solar
• E.J. Klock-McCook, Principal, RMI
• Tom Newhall, Chief Operating Officer, Renewance, Inc.

Decarbonizing Industrial Processes: New Technology, Economic Growth, and Electric Loads
Moderator: Audrey Whaling, Lansing 2030 District Program Manager, Michigan Green Building Collaborative
Panelists:

• Elizabeth Boatman, Lead Consultant, 5 Lakes Energy
• Dr. Kristen Cetin, Director, MSU Industrial Training and Assessment Center
• Juliette Strasser, Communications and Policy Director, Skyven Technologies

Local Opportunities to Rapidly Decarbonize the Electric Grid
Moderator: Shanna Draheim, Director Policy Labs, MI Municipal League
Panelists:

• Brandie F. Ekren, Executive Director, Traverse City Light & Power
• Missy Stults, Sustainability and Innovations Director, City of Ann Arbor
• Peter Spadafore, Executive Director, Michigan Schools Energy Cooperative

Unlocking Synergies Between Advanced Energy Incentive Programs
Moderator: Cory Connolly, Chief Climate Officer, Michigan EGLE
Panelists:

• Heather Zygmontowicz, Former Consultant, Michigan EGLE
• Tremaine Phillips, President, Third Coast Strategies, LLC
• Ben Dueweke, Director, State and Local Government, Walker-Miller Energy Services
• Sally Talberg, President and CEO, Michigan Saves

From Garage to Grid: The Future of Vehicle-Grid Integration
Moderator: Andrew Higgins, Sr. Advisor, KPMG
Panelists:

• Joshua Williams, Senior Midwest Regional Manager, Highland Electric Fleets
• Ted Ko, Acting VP of Policy, ElectricFish
• Priya Machi, Business Development Manager, GM Energy
• Valerie Brader, CEO, Rivenoak Consulting

It Takes a Village: Strategies for Effective Community Engagement
Moderator: Liesl Clark, Director, Climate Action Engagement, University of Michigan School for the Environment and Sustainability
Panelists:

• Francesca Martella, Project Developer, Orsted
• Cynthia Stump, Director, Local Government & Community Affairs, ITC Michigan
• Regina Strong, Head of the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate, State of Michigan/EGLE

The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of its Parts: Exploring Virtual Power Plants
Moderator: Molly Freed, Senior Associate, RMI
Panelists:

• John Albers, Director, Advanced Energy United
• Kahryn Riley, Senior Manager, Market Innovation, Uplight
• Bronte Payne, Senior Manager, Policy, Sunrun
• Gabriela Olmedo, Regulatory Affairs Specialist, EnergyHub

What’s Next for Federal Energy Policy?
Moderator: Harry Godfrey, Managing Director, Federal Affairs, Advanced Energy United
Panelists:

• Laura Chappelle, Partner, Potomac Law Group
• Douglas Presley, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, AnnDyl Policy Group
• Jetta Wong, President, JLW Advising
• Nick Nigro, Founder, Atlas Public Policy

Thank you to our sponsors!
 

TERAWATT 




MEGAWATT

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Homeowners Associations in Michigan Can No Longer Ban Residents from Installing Solar Panels, EV Chargers, Heat Pumps, and More

This week, Public Act 68 of 2024, also known as the Homeowners’ Energy Policy Act, went into effect after it was signed by the Governor on September 10, 2024. The law allows homeowners to make energy-saving improvements to their homes and prohibits homeowners’ associations (HOAs) from blocking these improvements.

To comply with the law’s provisions, HOAs in Michigan will now need to develop a solar energy policy statement. To help HOAs comply with the new law, the City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations (OSI) has developed a model solar policy template.

Michigan EIBC Senior Director of Policy Grace Michienzi testified in favor of the bill before the Michigan Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services. The bill was passed by the Michigan Senate in June of 2024, after passing the House in late 2023.

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Michigan Energy News

• The House Energy Committee advances a package of bills (HB 4124 – 4129) to support nuclear energy development with tax credits and other incentives.
• LG Energy Solution acquires Michigan EIBC member General Motors’ EV battery venture in Lansing for approximately $2B. 
• Gas-powered generators in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan would be considered clean energy under a bill that went before the Michigan House Energy Committee.

National Energy News

• Nuclear power faces considerable challenges and limitations, such as federal policy support and high capital costs, which will determine its future in the U.S. energy landscape. 
• A Texas bill, SB 388, which recently passed the Senate, favors gas energy over solar and wind energy and would undermine the growth of renewable sources in Texas. 
• An Illinois city passes a building performance standard to cut emissions from big buildings. 
• Energy parks, a combination of solar, wind, and batteries, offer Pueblo, Colorado, a low-risk solution to replace a retiring coal plant. 

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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 Health and Human Services

State Assistant Administrator 15 – Climate and Environment Policy Advisor. Location: Lansing.

This position works for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and is detailed within the Governor’s policy division as a Climate and Environment Policy Advisor. The incumbent manages issues in these areas, especially how they intersect with energy, natural resources, and agriculture. This position would serve as a policy advisor and project manager on existing and new initiatives in this issue space.

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Michigan and National Energy Events

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!

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Opportunities

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.

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.

Michigan Clean Energy Leaders (MCEL) has opened applications for its 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! Apply by April 28.

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.