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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:
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:
Governor’s Budget Requests Includes Key Energy Priorities
This week Gov. Whitmer released her proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, as well as a proposed supplemental budget for fiscal year 2025. The proposed budgets included a number of advanced energy industry priorities, including programs to support the deployment of solar, energy storage, and EV chargers, as well as investments in energy workforce development. Here are some of the highlights of these budgets pertaining to advanced energy priorities of Michigan EIBC and its members:
- $25 million for the Michigan Energy Assistance Program
- $129.1 million in federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funding, to be used to expand the Renewables Ready Communities awards program
- $10 million in additional funding for deploying electric vehicle charging stations by providing grants for the installation of charging stations in local communities
- $5 million for an energy revolving fund, which can be used to help transition the state’s fleet
- $22.7 million in federal funds for the Community and Worker Economic Transition Office to issue grants to small and medium sized auto suppliers to help them retool for the electric vehicle industry
- $35.8 million from a federal economic development grant to support residents, employers and communities affected by the construction of transmission lines in Branch and Calhoun counties
Michigan EGLE Releases First Round of Charging Infrastructure RFP
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) recently released the first round of its Request for Proposals for the Clean Fuel & Charging Infrastructure Program. A total of $5 million will be available for the deployment of Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at multifamily housing locations. This funding can cover make-ready upgrade costs, maintenance and operation contracts, and data plans for these projects. For projects outside of environmental justice communities, a minimum match of 30 percent of the total requested grant funds is required. However, projects located within environmental justice communities, as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency’s EJScreen tool, are exempt from this matching requirement.
The RFP stems from a state budget item that was supported by Michigan EIBC throughout last year’s budget process. On July 24, 2024, Governor Whitmer authorized a one-time allocation of $30 million to fund installation of EV charging stations, a small portion of the $82.5 billion state budget deal approved by the Michigan legislature for the fiscal year 2024-2025. Grant funding for clean fuel and charging infrastructure can be applied toward non-public EVcharging and fueling stations, charging for public transit systems, charging and fuel infrastructure for multifamily housing, and the deployment of fast charging networks in underserved areas. Notably, 40 percent of the allocated funds are designated for environmental justice communities.
Future RFPs are expected to focus on fleet charging and fast charging networks. Proposals for multifamily housing charging stations will be accepted on a rolling basis until all funds are allocated. The full RFP can be found here.
Announcing 2025 Annual Conference Keynote!
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.
We’re excited to announce that Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II will keynote the conference!
Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II has dedicated his career to solving problems. A software engineer by training, he uses thoughtful and fact-based practices to make government work better for Michigan families on issues like entrepreneurship, criminal and juvenile justice, health care, affordable housing, and economic opportunity. He is committed to building a Michigan where every person can reach their full potential.
As leader of statewide task forces on jail, pretrial incarceration, and juvenile justice, he worked across the aisle to champion historic legislation to build a smarter and fairer justice system that saves taxpayer money and helps hundreds of thousands of Michiganders access better opportunity for jobs and housing.
As chair of Michigan’s COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force, Lt. Governor Gilchrist acted decisively to respond to the pandemic’ disproportionate impact on communities of color. Michigan led the nation in tackling racial disparities and continues to expand access to affordable, equitable health care.
He has led efforts to connect over 27,000 homes and businesses to reliable, affordable fast internet, expand innovation, and make Michigan the best place to have an idea. He embarked on statewide “Thriving Cities” tours visiting communities in every region to hear from Michiganders about the issues that matter. He also served as chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.
Lt. Governor Gilchrist and his wife, Ellen, reside in Detroit where they are raising their twins, Emily and Garlin III, and daughter, Ruby.
More details about speakers and panels are available on the conference website. Sponsorship opportunities are available now! Contact Brianna (brianna@mieibc.org) for more information.
Thank you to our sponsors!
TERAWATT 
MEGAWATT
KILOWATT
the WATT
Renewing Members
Ceres is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and sustainable world. United under a shared vision, our powerful networks of investors and companies are proving sustainability is the bottom line—changing markets and sectors from the inside out. For more information, visit ceres.org.
CleanCapital is a diversified clean energy company focused on the middle-market solar and storage industry. Mission-driven to mitigate the climate crisis, CleanCapital leads the energy transition with strategic investments in early-stage, new construction, and operating renewables projects and development partners. To date, the company has invested $1 billion in projects and companies, including the acquisition of BQ Energy, a national leader in landfill and brownfield renewable energy development. The company has successfully acquired and managed more than 200 operating and new construction projects in 26 states and one U.S. territory, totaling more than 400 MW.
Cultivate Power is a distributed solar and storage platform. We develop distributed energy resources that advance productive use of the land and integrate with the community and grid. We believe community generation improves grid resiliency, furthers energy independence, and brings economic benefits to local communities. Our top focus is cultivating land into distributed renewable energy projects and ensuring that our projects benefit their local communities.
A global leader in offshore wind, Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, renewable hydrogen and green fuels facilities in Europe, North America and Asia. In the United States, the company has approximately 650 employees and a growing portfolio of clean energy assets and partnerships that includes offshore wind energy, land-based wind energy, solar, storage technologies and e-fuels. Ørsted has a total U.S. land-based capacity of more than 5 gigawatts across wind, solar, storage technologies and e-fuels. As a leading U.S. clean energy company, Ørsted is creating skilled jobs and bringing new opportunities to communities across the country.
Michigan Energy News
- New bills introduced to the Michigan legislature would overturn the new laws for siting large renewable energy and energy storage projects.
- “I have heard over the last week from a number of our members who have contracts or grants from local governments, from the state, from different departments that they’ve gotten notices that those payments, those projects, are being put on hold because it’s not clear what’s going to happen,” Michigan EIBC President Laura Sherman is quoted as saying in an article from Michigan Advance.
- Trump administration policies could complicate the reopening of the Palisades nuclear plant.
- Michigan EIBC member Vesper Energy will hold an open house on the battery storage facility it plans to build in Otsego County.
National Energy News
- In his first Secretarial Order, new Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the “Department will bring a renewed focus to growing baseload and dispatchable generation to reliably meet growing demand.”
- More reforms are needed to make grid operators and utilities take a more regional approach to transmission planning, according to a recent RMI report.
- Texas utility CenterPoint announces a $5.75 billion resiliency plan.
- Arizona’s three major utilities are working together to explore the possibility of building new nuclear reactors.
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.
Advanced Energy United
Policy Principal – Central. Location: Remote.
United seeks an enthusiastic, smart, innovative Principal with a background in issue advocacy and/or coalition building at the state level to join our policy and campaign team. The principal will work with United team members to develop and implement multi-year strategies and initiatives designed to achieve policy successes at the state level that will accelerate the clean energy transition while expanding markets for the advanced energy industry. The Principal will craft and execute creative strategies to: enact pro-advanced energy policies in key states in our Central Region, primarily Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan with secondary focus on Wisconsin and Texas; educate and build support for advanced energy technologies and policies among key decision-makers within states; engage in regulatory proceedings in states; support and advocate for the implementation of the state and federal laws by state regulatory and executive agencies; defend existing advanced energy policies; and educate and activate policymakers and executive agency staff on regional solutions needed to achieve 100% clean energy. The principal will also lead, execute and/or support United’s regulatory engagements in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Candidates will need to have the ability to travel to meet with United members, coalition allies and stakeholders, and public officials.
Elevate
Director of Government Partnerships. Location: Chicago/Remote.
The Director of Government Partnerships manages federal and public sector funding opportunities to support a comprehensive development plan to diversify revenue streams, realize fundraising goals, and contribute to designing and implementing structures and systems. The Director of Government Partnerships leads Elevate’s strategy for public sector fundraising and oversees the development of government-funded proposals and programs in coordination with implementation teams and operations. This role partners with other Development Team members and colleagues across the organization to develop and achieve annual fundraising goals.
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Departmental Analyst 9-P11/12, MI Solar for All Program Analyst. Location: Lansing.
This is a limited term position that functions as the MI Solar for All (MISFA) program analyst in the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Executive Office, Office of Climate and Energy (OCE). The MISFA program has been awarded $156 million to support implementation of residential and community solar serving low-income and disadvantaged households to reduce household energy burden and greenhouse gas emissions. The program also includes energy storage deployment, enabling building upgrades, workforce development, community/technical assistance, vendor/consultant management, stakeholder engagement, site visits, and monitoring, performance and compliance activities.
Engineer 9-P11 – MI Solar for All Program Engineer. Location: Lansing.
This limited term position functions as the MI Solar for All (MISFA) program engineer in the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Executive Office, Office of Climate and Energy (OCE). The MISFA program has been awarded $156 million to support implementation of residential and community solar serving low-income and disadvantaged households to reduce household energy burden and greenhouse gas emissions. The program also includes energy storage deployment; enabling building upgrades; workforce development; community/technical assistance; vendor/consultant management; stakeholder engagement; site visits; and monitoring, performance, and compliance activities.
This position will help conduct research and analyses supporting successful deployment of the MISFA program. Topics may include electric reliability, energy resiliency, and solar and storage equipment types and operation. In addition, it will help develop, evaluate, and manage MISFA grant programs. The role will include collaborating with relevant entities, such as residential households, state agencies, local governments, Tribal nations, community-based organizations, and utilities to ensure developed programs meet Michigan community needs as well as MISFA programmatic needs.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Proposals are due Feb. 7 for Round 2 of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification is accepting applications for its career transition program, Momentum, which according to the office is “designed to guide experienced professionals like you through a smooth transition from the corporate world to the dynamic startup ecosystem.” Applications are due Feb. 7.
Michigan EIBC member Michigan Saves is excited to announce a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for predevelopment technical assistance services to help advance clean energy projects across Michigan. This initiative aims to equip organizations with the resources and expertise needed to design, develop, and implement impactful energy solutions. Michigan Saves encourages qualified professionals to submit their proposals and contribute to building a sustainable future. Find the RFQ here. The deadline for submitting responses is Feb. 21.
The MPSC has released a request for proposals seeking applicants for $4.875 million in Renewable Energy and Electrification Infrastructure Enhancement and Development grants. The deadline is March 20, and you can find out more at the MPSC’s webpage for the program 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.