<< All News
August 13, 2026

Newsletter: MPSC’s Affordability Recommendations and more

Recent Posts

  • Newsletter: MPSC's Affordability Recommendations and more
  • Newsletter: Renewables Ready Community Award and EV charging stations
  • Comments on Consumers Energy's 2026 TEP
  • Newsletter: Electrification Coalition Highlights, Line 5 Updates and More
  • Newsletter: Governor Whitmer Makes Data Center Pledge, Jared Deluccia moderates MPSC panel, and more!

    • Blog Categories

  • Blog (3)
  • EIBC in the News (1)
  • Newsletter (517)
  • Uncategorized (292)

    • 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 Public Service Commission Responds to Gov. Whitmer’s Affordability Pledge

    On August 10, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) released legislative recommendations that would provide utility bill relief for customers. The recommendations follow a request from Governor Gretchen Whitmer to identify substantive steps to make energy more affordable. These recommendations, many of them aligned with legislation supported by Michigan EIBC, provide actionable steps that would disrupt the current cycle of increasing prices and provide a path to achieve a more efficient energy system.

    “Michigan EIBC has been working on legislation for years to increase competition, lower costs, and enable customers to provide the clean energy resources that our state needs,” said Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council President Dr. Laura Sherman. “We appreciate the Commission’s attention to these issues and focus on solutions that will reduce energy bills for Michiganders. It’s critical that we continue to make progress within the existing regulatory framework and move these innovative solutions forward at the legislature in the coming months.”  

    Read more from our joint press release with Advanced Energy United here.

    MPSC Explores Financial Incentives and Fines for Utilities to Connect Renewable Energy

    Last week, the MPSC released recommendations for utilities in the state to speed up the process of connecting rooftop solar, residential energy storage, and other distributed energy resources (DERs) to the grid. The recommendations also include incentives and penalties to ensure that the utilities make use of these DERs to benefit other customers (for example through aggregated virtual power plants). Currently, DTE and Consumers Energy each report connection lags of more than two months for the smallest of rooftop solar arrays, and even longer delays for larger systems. Michigan EIBC is pleased the MPSC is taking the next steps on improving connection times and providing incentives for utilities to make use of these resources. 

    In our original comments, Michigan EIBC and Advanced Energy United noted that enough studies have been done on lagging connection times, and that incentives and fines for speeding up this process can be implemented for project timelines of any size. We also suggested that utilities be required to report the costs associated with interconnection.

    Public feedback on the latest recommendations is due by October 1, 2026 and Michigan EIBC looks forward to submitting additional feedback.

    Public Convening: EV Fleets

    Michigan EIBC and Clean Fuels Michigan are hosting a public convening to explore funding and policy opportunities that will increase electric vehicle charging stations across Michigan for residents, businesses, and fleet operators. Industry experts, representatives from state agencies, and other industry experts will have the chance to discuss ways to stack available funding, coordinate with advisory services, and choose the right vehicles and charging to meet your needs.

    “The next five years are going to see a massive increase in interest around electric vehicles,” says Sohpia Schuster, Michigan EIBC’s Policy Principal. “This public convening on September 1 is a great chance for public and private fleet operators to learn more about the benefits of electrification and the funding streams available to them to make the transition easier. As we uncover ways to make EVs and EV charging more accessible and affordable across Michigan, this event will serve as a springboard toward fleet electrification.” Register here.

    Register For the 14th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala

    Michigan EIBC’s 14th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala will return to Detroit’s Gem Theatre on October 7, bringing together more than 300 leaders from across Michigan’s advanced energy industry, government, and business community for an evening of networking and recognition. Since its inception, the Gala has become one of Michigan EIBC’s premier events, celebrating the companies, projects, and public officials helping advance Michigan’s energy economy while providing attendees an opportunity to connect with industry peers and policymakers. For event information and registration, click the button below.

    REGISTER FOR THE GALA HERE

    Michigan EIBC extends its sincere appreciation to this year’s Gala sponsors, whose support helps make the event possible. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact Brianna (brianna@mieibc.org) for more information!

    RENEWING MEMBERS

    Click logos to learn more

    Since 2007, Foresight has existed to champion energy management, accelerate sustainability and increase profitability for our clients. We serve commercial, industrial and institutional organizations across North America and the globe. Our interdisciplinary team of energy engineers, sustainability experts, data analysts, software engineers, procurement professionals and project managers work together to provide holistic, proactive and strategic solutions for our growing client base. Service areas include but are not limited to; utility bill collection, reporting and optimization, energy procurement consulting, facility energy audits, renewable energy feasibility studies, carbon emission calculations and reporting, energy modeling, commissioning and retro-commissioning.

    MacAllister CAT Power Systems is Michigan’s premier provider of turnkey Combined Heat & Power (CHP or Cogen) systems. We have the expertise to optimize a CHP system for your facility and the boots on the ground to make sure you get the most out of your investment. Plus, as your Caterpillar dealer, we can offer best in class CAT power generation equipment that is built in the USA. MacAllister CAT is also recognized as a leader in providing landfill solutions. Decades of leadership in converting landfill gas to viable energy mean millions of “green” kilowatts provided. Our CHP; Landfill customers include operations across the nation-with hundreds of generators operating in diverse applications.

    Michigan Saves

    Michigan Saves, the nation’s first nonprofit green bank, promotes accessible, equitable, and just investments in energy efficiency and clean energy to support healthy and thriving communities.

    Michigan Energy News

    • The city of Cadillac has selected Schneider Electric and Budderfly for its no-upfront-cost solar microgrid project. (Fuel Cells Works)
    • Ann Arbor voters will decide this November whether to create a new municipal electric utility. (Michigan Public)
    • The Michigan PSC has outlined a series of proposals aimed at lowering utility bills for residential customers. (Michigan Public, Detroit Free Press, MLive, Crain’s Detroit)
    • Electricity rates are taking center stage in Michigan’s U.S. Senate election. (TDWorld)
    • U.S. Senate candidates Rogers and El-Sayed are offering different approaches to Michigan’s auto industry. (The Detroit News)
    • GM and EVgo have opened flagship charging station near Detroit as part of a national expansion. (Autonews)

    National Energy News

    • A federal appeals court has unblocked $20B in federal climate grants (Utility Dive)
    • Ford’s first ultra-cheap EV is called Fathom is a full-featured truck for under $29k. (The Verge)
    • America’s first grid-scale sodium-ion battery plant Is coming to Sacramento. (Intelligent Living)
    • Tesla has used up its allotment of California’s new EV buyer program funds in the four days after the program launched. (Yahoo Finance)
    • MIT researchers tackle the economic realities of fusion power in a new study. (MIT)

    Events

    • August 25: Renewables Ready Communities Award: Program Overview and Guidance Webinar – Join EGLE for an overview of Michigan’s new $90 million Renewables Ready Communities Award (RRCA), funded through the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program. This webinar will introduce local government officials and planners to the potential revenue opportunity for communities involved in permitting utility‑scale renewable energy projects. Register here.
    • September 1: Powering Your Fleet: Maximizing Funding Opportunities to Enable Fleet Electrification – Join Michigan EIBC and Clean Fuels Michigan for a public convening workshop to learn more about funding opportunities available to public and private fleet operators to support fleet electrification. The event will feature industry experts and key state stakeholders to talk about how to stack available funding, coordinate with advisory services, and choose the right vehicles and charging to meet your needs. Register here.
    • October 7: 14th Annual Michigan Energy Innovators Gala — Join Michigan EIBC at the Gem Theatre in Detroit for its signature annual celebration of Michigan’s advanced energy industry. The gala brings together more than 300 business leaders, policymakers, and energy professionals to recognize outstanding achievements in clean energy through awards honoring Business of the Year, Public Official of the Year, Project of the Year, and other industry leaders. Register here.

    RE+ Midwest brings together leading clean energy businesses, utilities, professionals, and policymakers for an exclusive two-day event designed to empower you to meet the energy transition head on. This year’s education programming has expanded to include in-depth sessions surrounding siting, land use, and community energy in addition to state energy briefings and panels discussing relevant market trends in the region. From rustbelt to greenbelt, clean energy is a force moving forward, and the Midwest is no exception. Register here.

    Jobs

    If you have a job announcement you would like in the newsletter, please send the position and a link to apply to Mark Griffin at mark@mieibc.org. Please include in the email a specific end date for the job posting.

    Opportunities

    • DTE will be issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for wind and solar projects on August 11, 2026 targeting 800 megawatts to support DTE Electric’s Voluntary Green Pricing (VGP) program. The RFP requires the wind and solar projects to achieve commercial operation by December 31, 2030. Projects must be interconnected to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) in the following states and zones: Michigan (Zone 2 or Zone 7), Arkansas (Zone 8), Illinois (Zone 2, 3, or 4), Iowa (Zone 1 or 3), Minnesota (Zone 1 or 3), Mississippi (Zone 10), Missouri (Zone 5), Texas (Zone 9) and Wisconsin (Zone 1 or 2). Bids are due September 23, 2026, and DTE expects to execute contracts in Q2 2027. Read more.
    • The Renewables Ready Communities Award (RRCA) hosted by Michigan’s EGLE is a one-time payment that local governments can receive for hosting and/or permitting eligible large-scale renewable energy projects. Local governments can apply as soon as an eligible energy project is permitted, and award payment is made when construction on the project begins. An eligible project is a grid-connected wind, solar, or energy storage project in Michigan which received a local permit (e.g. a land use permit or site plan approval) after September 30th, 2023. Read more.
    • 2026 Clean Energy Workforce Development Program: EGLE is accepting applications for its 2026 Clean Energy Workforce Development Program, which will award grants of $5,000 to $50,000 to support workforce training, apprenticeships, and career pathways that advance Michigan’s clean energy economy. Eligible nonprofits and small businesses can apply through August 30, 2026 here.
    • Sponsors and donations needed to 3x impact of the HARVEST Project — a collaboration with United Agrivoltaics Heartland Alliance, UMich SEAS, and MSU Extension. Masters students work on real-world land use and community challenges faced by solar and farmers. Sponsor a case study while gaining visibility and tailored insights!
    • Sustainable States Network RFQ for Build America, Buy America (BABA)-Compliant Charging Equipment (Rolling)
    • Michigan EGLE funding (Rolling)

    Resources