About a month ago, Liesl Clark, president of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (MEIBC), reached out to see if I would like to be a panelist at the group’s 5th annual member meeting in East Lansing. Inovateus has been a steady member of the MEIBC, and we have been continually impressed with the council’s efforts to push policymakers to consider the benefits of renewable energy in Michigan and the Midwest, so I was honored to participate.
The event brought together an impressive group of attendees, including government officials and politicians, business leaders from small and large corporations, utility managers, sustainability directors, and investors. The location was convenient too, since Inovateus is building one of the largest university solar projects in the U.S. on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU).
Aside from myself, the panelists included Rob Threlkeld, global manager of renewable energy at General Motors, and Teri VanSumeren, executive director of energy efficiency and renewables at Consumers Energy, with Norm Sari of the Michigan Public Service Commission acting as moderator. The panel discussion topics included corporate purchasing of renewables, a rapidly growing trend among corporations. Almost half of Fortune 500 companies have said they plan to go 100% renewable in the coming decades. For example, Threlkeld’s employer, GM, has pledged to do this by 2050.
I talked about Inovateus’ high-profile projects in Michigan—the 13 MW solar carport installations at MSU and the 60 MW solar power plant for DTE Energy—and how those projects have been helped along by favorable existing solar policies in the state. Michigan may not be the first state that comes to mind—or even place in the Top 10—when people think about solar. But thanks to elected officials from both sides of the aisle coming together, the state has become an excellent place to develop solar projects.
Final speaker Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), Democratic floor leader in the Michigan House of Representatives, summarized the pro-solar atmosphere at the event by elaborating on the future of energy legislation in the state. (Our MSU carport project is located in his district.) Mayors from municipalities that have committed to relying on 100% renewable energy were also in attendance—Rosalynn Bliss of Grand Rapids and Michael Estes of Traverse City.
For all the clean energy gains that Michigan has made, the state still has a long way to go to make solar a significant part of its generation mix. For example, net metering is currently limited to 150 KW, while many states have caps of 1, 5 or more megawatts. Solar sales are not tax-exempt, an incentive commonly found across the country.
After experiencing the optimism and passion for the direction of renewable energy at the MEIBC meeting, I am confident the state will continue to make strides toward embracing renewable energy and becoming a Midwest Mecca of solar.
By Peter Rienks, senior account executive, Inovateus Solar
