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November 25, 2024

Newsletter: Green Steel Plan, Cost Savings from Renewables and More

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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:

    Source: 5 Lakes Energy.

    5 Lakes Energy Report Outlines Major Green Steel Opportunity

    A new report from Michigan EIBC member 5 Lakes Energy says that Michigan has an opportunity to join the cutting edge of industrial decarbonization by enacting a plan for one of the largest industrial facilities in the state: the Dearborn Works steel mill, which has operated for decades as a major source of steel for the auto industry.

    In 2027 Dearborn Works owner Cleveland Cliffs is expected to spend $470 million to reline the facility’s blast furnace – a move “that would lock Michigan into coal-based primary steelmaking until the 2040s,” the report, prepared by 5 Lakes Energy Consultant Elizabeth Boatman, states. “Meanwhile, Europe’s steelmaking industry is on the cusp of disruptive, technological change: clean steel produced using an innovative process of solid-state direct reduction, driven by ‘green’ hydrogen made from water molecules split by renewable electricity.”

    The report presents an alternative to relining the furnace: move from coal to electricity and green hydrogen. This conversion would involve replacing the blast furnace and basic oxygen furnaces with a hydrogen-fed direct reduction furnace and set of electric arc furnaces, electrifying other plant operations and building a new green hydrogen plant along with 2 GW of solar and 2 GW of wind, plus battery storage, to power the production of hydrogen.

    Doing so would lead to the closure of the EES Coke plant on Zug Island in the Detroit River, thus removing one of the biggest polluting facilities in one of the most polluted parts of the state that is also heavily low-income, an Energy News Network article about the report notes. While closing the coke plant would lead to job losses, Boatman found that those lost jobs would be more than made up by 410 new jobs that would be created at the hydrogen plant, 550 from the new renewables and 170 at the mill itself. 

    “…For Michigan to accomplish the objectives declared in its forward-thinking MI Healthy Climate Plan by 2050, it is critical that the state turn its attention to Dearborn Works today,” the report states.

     

    Consumers Energy: Renewable Energy to Produce Cost Savings for Customers

    Consumers Energy has reported to the Michigan Public Service Commission that the electric utility will save money by complying with renewable energy standards through 2045.

    MLive reported this week that “Consumers Energy, in a Nov. 15 regulatory filing, estimated new requirements that will compel the utility to source more than half its power from renewable sources like wind and solar power will actually mean $304 million in savings by 2045, compared to a baseline alternative that assumes power is sourced instead from modern natural gas plants burning fossil fuels.”

    The finding that renewable energy is a long-term cost saver is congruent with what Michigan EIBC found in recent reports we worked on with 5 Lakes Energy. One of those reports, published in September, modeled the effects of the Inflation Reduction Act and the new state energy laws signed by Gov. Whitmer in late 2023 and found Michigan families’ energy bills will go down by an average of $297 per year by 2030 and $713 per year by 2040, relative to the baseline expected energy cost if the policies were not put in place.

     

    Profile of Leadership Council Member NextEra Energy Resources

    Throughout the year we have been profiling the Michigan EIBC member companies that are part of Michigan EIBC’s leadership council. The next leadership council member we are highlighting is NextEra Energy Resources.

    A NextEra representative tells us that “for over a decade NextEra Energy Resources’ subsidiaries have been helping fuel the state’s economic growth and quality of life, and moving our country toward energy independence.” Now, the company is looking to the effects of the clean energy legislation passed at the end of 2023. “We are enthused that Michigan seeks to increase the use of clean energy [and] legislation like this will help Michigan reach its clean energy goals,” the company said.

    NextEra’s four wind energy centers in Michigan are Pegasus and Tuscola Bay in Tuscola County, Tuscola Bay II in Tuscola and Bay counties, and Pheasant Run in Huron County. NextEra also has the Coldwater distributed energy system. A recently-operational NextEra project is the Cereal City Solar Energy Center, which began producing energy in Calhoun County in December of 2023. 

    The company says it is looking forward to developing the following projects: Beecher Solar, Grass Lake Solar and Midland Solar.

    New Member

    Navisun LLC
    From greenfields to brownfields, rooftops, and beyond, Navisun develops, partners, constructs, finances, owns and operates distributed generation and small utility-scale solar and energy storage projects throughout the United States. With a solid financial backing and a seasoned team of experts with over 140 years of combined experience in the energy sector, we seek to solve problems for our partners. And as long term owner operators, we’ll be here for the long haul.  

    Renewing Members

    Bollinger Motors
    Bollinger Motors is driving distinction through truly evolved EV solutions and reinventing the all-electric truck from the ground up. Bollinger’s class 3 electric trucks, including the B1 Sport Utility Truck, the B2 Pickup Truck, the B2 Chassis Cab, and the Chass-E, will offer dual-motor drivetrain creating best-in-class horsepower and torque, all-wheel drive, 50/50 weight distribution, unbeatable traction, and best-in-class ground clearance for both consumer and commercial applications. Built in Detroit, made to change the world. Learn more about the company, its products, and career opportunities at bollingermotors.com.

    Ryter Cooperative Industries

    Ryter Cooperative Industries (RCI), is a Detroit based minority-owned social impact company that provides customized engineering project management and educational services for community-based projects around clean energy development and empowerment. RCI works to bridge the gap in conversations between community and industry and specializes in energy-oriented solutions with a particular focus on solar technologies. These solutions include on-grid and off-grid solar assessments and designs, installations of solar lighting, design-build of solar internet and charging stations, and installation of solar systems for residential, commercial, public parks, and municipal applications.


    ​

    Michigan Energy News

    • The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) receives $22.2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.
    • The sustainable energy utility recently approved by Ann Arbor voters “is going to be both great for our carbon future and great for the pocketbook,” Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor tells Canary Media.
    • DTE plans to spend more than $100 million on new substations in Northville Township, Pontiac, and Shelby Township

    National Energy News

    • The largest grid storage plant in the world is a 53 megawatt-hour project operated by Element Energy at a West Texas wind farm owned by Michigan EIBC member NextEra Energy Resources.
    • Ratepayer advocates from several states are protesting “crushing” prices from Mid-Atlantic grid operator PJM Interconnection’s capacity market.
    • The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission votes to expand the authority of state regulators to decide transmission planning and cost allocation processes, while still upholding its order directing states to engage in long-term transmission planning.

     

    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 EIBC

    Sustainable Buildings Intern. Location: Remote.

    Michigan EIBC and Institute for Energy Innovation (IEI) seek a paid graduate-level intern to support policy research on building sustainability, electrification, and energy efficiency. The ideal candidate will have excellent research and writing skills, time management and organizational skills, be attentive to details, be self-motivated with the ability to take initiative with minimal supervision, and be eager to learn and excel in a small, collaborative team environment.

    Utopian Power

    Project Manager – Utility-Scale Solar. Location: Lansing

    The Project Manager will be responsible for managing the entire lifecycle of the solar project, including design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and project closeout. This is an onsite position, requiring the Project Manager to be present at the project location throughout its duration. Close collaboration with engineering, environmental, and regulatory teams as well as the client and subcontractors is essential.
    To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and a portfolio of relevant projects to Forrest Cohn at fcohn@utopianpower.com. Applications will be accepted until November 15, 2024.

    Walker-Miller Energy Services

    Field Operations Manager. Location: Detroit.
    We are seeking an experienced Field Operations Manager to lead the field team and activities for a large-scale residential energy efficiency program in Michigan. The ideal candidate will have at least 3-5 years of experience in managing a field team and a strong understanding of energy efficiency for residential and multi-family sectors. This role requires significant experience in home and building assessments, quality assurance and quality control processes, and supervising a field team.

     

    Michigan and National Energy Events

    In Lansing on Dec. 4, legislators, Staff, and Michigan EIBC members are invited to join the Institute for Energy Innovation for an Energy 101 “Breakfast + Brainstorm” session on the subject of “Minifridges, Microgrids, and MISO: Maintaining Grid Resilience at Scale,” to be held at the Mackinac Room in the Anderson House Office Building. Please contact Michigan EIBC for more information (mieibc@mieibc.org). 

    The University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) is holding a Green Career Fair on Jan. 31, 2025. Employers and students can register here.

     

    Opportunities

    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.

    RMI is looking for a regulatory expert to join its electricity team and help implement regulatory policies to ensure the energy transition is affordable for all. 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.

    The State of Michigan released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a planning consultant to support planning for the Michigan Solar for All program. Proposals are due Nov. 19.

    Consumers Energy has released the RFP package for the 2024 IRP for Solar Generation Projects. Project qualification applications are due Dec. 12.

    The Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) has issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) for “up to $400 million to spur innovative, community-focused clean energy solutions in rural and remote areas across the United States.” The related Notice of Funding Opportunity is expected to be released in the fall of 2024. Find out more here.

    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.

    Proposals are due Feb. 7, 2025 for Round 2 of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.

    Michigan EGLE is offering at least $320,000 in funding MI Solar Communities-MI Solar Access Program. Applications will be accepted through March 31, 2025, 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, 2025.