A Chicago-based environmental law group is launching a new initiative this year to work with Michigan utilities and local governments on potentially repurposing closed or soon-to-retire coal plants with public amenities and renewable energy generation.

LANSING — State regulators have approved an agreement between Consumers Energy and more than a dozen interest groups that will open a solar energy program to potentially thousands more homeowners and businesses.

CLARE — A mid-Michigan energy storage manufacturer is raising $50 million in capital to scale up production of its lead-acid battery technology, which executives say will be crucial to accompany growing amounts of intermittent renewable energy generation.

BATTLE CREEK — Davis Oil Co., a convenience store operator with 21 locations in West Michigan, has sold to Lawrenceville, Ga.-based Majors Management LLC. 

Michigan’s second-largest electric utility is studying the potential to repurpose two soon-to-close coal plants with clean energy such as solar and battery storage.

COVERT TWP. — While the recent denial of funding to reopen the Palisades nuclear power plant handicaps Michigan’s short-term emission-reduction goals, the state’s top energy regulator says new federal laws will create additional clean energy opportunities.

KENTWOOD — Contract medical device manufacturer Autocam Medical Devices LLC is embracing a suite of clean energy products at its new 120,000-square-foot Kentwood headquarters, including a large solar installation and energy efficiency technologies.

The global transition to electric vehicles and low-carbon transportation is well underway and creating a high-stakes competition among countries, and even states, to capture the associated manufacturing jobs.

GRAND RAPIDS — A recent settlement agreement approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission could finally create a viable path forward for a long-discussed solar project on a Grand Rapids brownfield.

Hope College is partnering with local officials to determine Ottawa County’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure needs in the coming years as automakers and utilities forecast increased vehicle adoption.

COVERT TWP. — The odds of a Southwest Michigan nuclear plant coming back to life after recently closing have improved as the owner pursues targeted federal funding for distressed nuclear facilities.

Dana Lowell and his co-founders at Lilypad Labs Inc. have set out to change the way we think about accessing water — an abundant resource in West Michigan that at times can be out of reach for some.

Legislation similar to bills that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed in 2020 involving the taxation of commercial solar energy developments was reintroduced this summer with changes to gain broader support from local governments.

Multiple highway corridors through West Michigan would land high-speed electric vehicle charging stations in the coming years under a plan submitted last week for federal infrastructure funding.

Katherine Peretick was appointed to the Michigan Public Service Commission in 2021 for a term that expires in 2027. In that time, Michigan and other states are transitioning through a crucial moment for the energy and utility industries as hulking, centralized fossil fuel plants are displaced by clean energy technologies to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

COVERT TWP. — Southwest Michigan economic development officials are hoping to lure new employers to the region to help offset the job losses from the retirement of the Palisades nuclear power plant along Lake Michigan.

Michigan added more energy-sector jobs than any other state in 2021, boosted primarily by the automotive industry and growing attention to hybrid and electric vehicle models.

The Michigan Public Service Commission has approved Consumers Energy’s latest long-term energy plan that calls for eliminating its coal-fired power in 2025 while also speeding up the deployment of energy storage.

A statewide advanced energy trade group recently released a “roadmap” for the state to maximize hundreds of millions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding in the coming years.

HOLLAND — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appeared in Holland today to launch a partnership with an electric vehicle manufacturer, a nonprofit and energy companies to build out an electric vehicle charging network in state parks along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Clean energy and housing advocates in Michigan are working to spend down an increasing amount of weatherization funds with a shrinking pool of contractors at their disposal. 

The global energy transition that is underway to combat the worst effects of climate change can be encapsulated along roughly 125 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.

The planned May 31 closure date of the Palisades nuclear power plant in Van Buren County is now in limbo after federal officials last week issued guidance on a new $6 billion program to save operating U.S. nuclear plant.

Michigan’s two major electric utilities that jointly own the Ludington Pumped Hydro Storage power plant along Lake Michigan claim the contractor hired for a $500 million upgrade of the facility has “delivered defective work” and is failing to meet contractual deadlines.

COVERT — The owner of the Palisades nuclear power plant in Southwest Michigan disclosed last week that 184 jobs will be eliminated soon after the plant permanently closes on May 31.

Major automakers, craft breweries and an outdoor recreation resort are among Michigan companies calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to finalize a statewide climate action plan that includes a carbon neutral target by 2050.

Michigan is seeking more than $30 million in federal funding to accelerate the cleanup of hundreds of abandoned oil and gas wells across the state.

BOYNE CITY — Michigan’s largest member-owned electric utility is poised for new leadership as Shaun Lamp prepares to take over as president and CEO of Great Lakes Energy on March 19.

Michigan electric vehicle registrations climbed nearly 60 percent over the past year, which comes as the state is preparing to deploy tens of millions of dollars for additional charging infrastructure.

Consumers Energy announced plans today that it will issue 200 rebates over the next two years to help offset the cost for site hosts to install electric vehicle charging stations.

DETROIT — DTE Energy is planning to scale up its voluntary renewable energy program because of growing demand from businesses and residents seeking to offset their electricity usage with clean energy sources.

Legislation signed into law late last year by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer aims to speed up the process for building certain electric transmission lines in Michigan, which a major operator says is crucial in helping to facilitate the clean energy transition.