DTE, Consumers Energy support raising rooftop solar cap
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DTE Energy and Consumers Energy announced together Tuesday their support for raising but not eliminating the cap on rooftop solar, a move that would increase the amount of solar power the utilities can purchase from consumers with rooftop solar panels.
Since 2016, under a state energy law there has been a 1% cap on how much solar power DTE and Consumers may purchase based on the utilities average peak load for the past five years.
“We’re all-in on solar energy,” Brandon Hofmeister, senior vice president of governmental, regulatory and public affairs at Consumers Energy said in a statement Tuesday. “Together, we’re proposing a more inclusive solution to raise the cap on solar that prioritizes the needs of every customer in Michigan.
State environmental officials say it’s too early to call it a windfall. That’s because some portion of the money that showed up on the state’s year-end balance sheet will likely be offset by lower-than-average revenue next year, as Michiganders liquidate stockpiles of empties that they didn’t get around to returning in 2020.
The glut of bottle bill revenue comes as a GOP-majority House budget recommendation proposes slashing the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s overall budget by nearly 70 percent a move that is unlikely to gain approval from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.
Under current law, 75 percent of revenue from unredeemed bottles which in 2019 totaled $43 million goes to the state Cleanup and Redevelopment Trust Fund, where much of it supports EGLE’s efforts to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites. The other 25 percent goes to retailers who sell bottled drinks to offset their cost of collecting returns.
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Governor Whitmer celebrates Earth Day by announcing State of Michigan offices will procure 100% renewable energy by 2025
The State of Michigan will utilize state property to expand solar energy deployment in Michigan
Apr 22, 2021
LANSING On Earth Day, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that state-owned facilities would utilize 100% renewable energy by 2025. This goal is made possible through partnerships with three major utilities, DTE, Consumers Energy, and Lansing Board of Water and Light. The energy purchased will expand the utility’s renewable portfolio in Michigan, rather than simply rerouting existing renewable energy that is already being generated.
“Since my first day in office, we’ve continued to make real, lasting progress on environmental and climate issues across our state,” said Governor Whitmer. “By moving state-owned buildings to 100% clean, renewable energy, we are working towards protecting public health and our environment, while attracting mo
April 22, 2021
Governor Gretchen Whitmer is celebrating Earth Day with an announcement state offices will use 100% renewable energy by 2025. The governor’s office has released the following:
On Earth Day Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that state-owned facilities would utilize 100% renewable energy by 2025. This goal is made possible through partnerships with three major utilities, DTE, Consumers Energy, and Lansing Board of Water and Light. The energy purchased will expand the utility’s renewable portfolio in Michigan, rather than simply rerouting existing renewable energy that is already being generated.
“Since my first day in office, we’ve continued to make real, lasting progress on environmental and climate issues across our state,” said
Kirk Heinze, James Clift, and Saulius Mikalonis talk all things environment and sustainability.
James Clift is the deputy director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. And before that, he served as policy director for the Michigan Environmental Council. Saulius Mikalonis is a widely respected environmental attorney in the Bloomfield Hills office of Plunkett Cooney.
“The impact and insignificance of Earth Day is that it started the ball rolling,” Mikalonis tells host Kirk Heinze. “Shortly thereafter, the EPA was created, and the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act were passed. There were environmental statutes that were in the books before that, but they were very mild and not very well enforced.