Energy, Climate and Michigan Communities
MEO’s Executive Director John Kinch is teaching a course on “Energy, Climate and Michigan Communities” at the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University in April and May 2022.
The public course is intended to bring the latest insights in energy policy, renewable energy, business sustainability, community equity, and resilience. National experts are speaking each week and the course will include local case studies on these topics.
Related, Kinch has written an essay on “The Sustainable Business Case for Solar on Brownfields.”
“Now’s the time to get out ahead of potential land use issues—and think and plan deliberately— as we onboard a lot more of this critically important clean, renewable energy for Michigan’s future,” says Kinch. “Locating as much solar as we can on our numerous marginal lands checks a lot of good boxes.”
COMMUNITY SOLAR + COMMUNITY WATER?
MEO teams up with a national legal expert on an intriguing idea
MEO has wondered aloud for a while if community solar could work “behind the meter” at a large public institution, such as a municipal wastewater or drinking water facility. Instead of community solar participants receiving an on-bill credit from the incumbent electricity utility, they’d receive a “proxy” credit on their water bill.
Through the National Community Solar Partnership (a joint venture between the US Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory), MEO’s idea got a thorough legal going-over by David Wooley of Keyes and Fox, LLP. David provided MEO with gratis meetings, counsel, emails and an outstanding white paper at the end of this work.
But we’re not done yet: MEO, David and other collaborators on this initial work are planning some interesting follow-ups to come.
Community Solar for Water Utilities: Final Report
Appendix A: Community Solar for Water Utilities
Appendix B Examples: Water Utility Solar Projects
Appendix C & D: References & Author
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Renewable Energy Consultant
Michigan Energy Options along with partners Elevate Energy and SunStore Energy are currently supporting the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to incorporate renewable energy into its operations. DNR is the first state agency to embark on such a goal.
Our services include a comprehensive solar feasibility study of dozens of DNR properties and facilities across the state; creation of request for proposals (RFPs) for large-scale and distributed solar projects; and development of an “Energy Transition Plan” for the state agency—the first of its kind in State of Michigan government.
Among the consultation deliverables are strategies to deploy solar on marginal lands using environmentally friendly best practices, while also reducing or eliminating the DNR’s energy costs and/or maximizing revenue from leasing properties for renewable energy projects across their land holdings of 4.6 million acres.
The first phase of a multi-year contract includes locating distributed solar at the Oden Fish Hatchery, near Petoskey, on its visitor center and adjacent isolation building. DNR received support for the visitor center solar from from the Frey Family Fund, a donor-advised fund of the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, along with donations from the Friends of Oden. The DNR anticipates releasing two RFPs Summer 2020 for land leases for utility-scale projects at former mining sites in the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. These marginal-land sites could potentially support more than 100 megawatts of solar power. MEO with Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council provided an informational webinar to prospective solar developers in May 2020.
In the news:
DNR to repurpose former mine sites as large-scale solar power operations
Solar installation coming to Oden Hatchery Visitor Center
DNR and MEO are exploring a regional approach to developing solar, which should provide for economies of scale.
Sun path for a potential solar array location at Oden Fish Hatchery.
Detroit Solar Tool Kit Project
With Elevate Energy and a multidisciplinary team, Michigan Energy Options participated in a two-year process with the City of Detroit to determine, among a number of outputs, what solar development potential existed within Michigan’s largest city.
This work was supported by the City of Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department with leadership from the Detroit Office of Sustainability as part of an $8.9 million Community Development Block Grant for disaster relief. The scope of the tool kits includes an introduction to solar for Detroiters; an interactive solar capacity map of the City; workforce and training opportunities; and policy, design guidelines and models of solar energy generation within the unique opportunities and constraints that exist in Detroit.
Details on the Detroit Solar Tool Kit can be found here. Deliverables included:
Online Solar Suitability Map: Development of an interactive GIS solar mapping tool of the City of Detroit. The map was developed by Elevate in collaboration with Data Driven Detroit and National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Detroit Solar Equity, Financing, and Operating Tool Kits: Integrate best practices, metrics and measurements and stakeholder engagement recommendations into a final Detroit Solar Tool Kit Guides including a Solar 101 Guide, Solar Design Guide, and Workforce Development and Training opportunities created in collaboration with Detroit Collaborative Design Center and EcoWorks.
Solar Financial Modeling Best Practices & Recommendations: Model outcomes, best practices and recommendations; including funding/financing, risk assessment, thresholds, projections including recommendations for specific solar investment opportunities. In collaboration with Michigan Energy Options.
Solar Regulatory and Policy Analysis: Aggregated solar legal, regulatory and policy to support City department with current energy law allows us to do and how to adjust local land use and zoning to maximize solar adoption. Led by Great Lakes Environmental Law Center.
View previous project highlights below.
UP Energy Task Force
East Lansing Community Solar Park: MEIBC Project of the Year 2019
Students Stand up for Solar Power
Going for a Zero Net Energy Building
Solar Power Is for The Bees
Lifting the Energy Burden
Strategy for a Bright Future
June 15, 2018 Webinar: Minimize Financial Risks and Maximize Clean Energy Benefits for Public Sector Institutions
STEER Upper Peninsula Tool
Potential Solar Development on Brownfields
MSU Executive MBA Social Impact Project
Consumers Energy ‘Energy Savers’ Pilot
Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score
Advancing PACE and Other Local Energy Solutions
Mid-Michigan Energy Study
Online Regional Energy Planning Tool
UP Energy Task Force
UP Operations Manager, Michael Larson, represents MEO on the UP Energy Task Force. The task force was created by Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order No. 2019-14. The charge to the Task Force is to:
- Assess the UP’s overall energy needs and how they are currently being met.
- Formulate alternative solutions for meeting the UP’s energy needs, with a focus on security, reliability, affordability, and environmental soundness. This shall include, but is not limited to, alternative means to supply the energy sources currently used by UP residents, and alternatives to those energy sources.
- Identify and evaluate potential changes that could occur to energy supply and distribution in the UP; the economic, environmental, and other impacts of such changes; and the alternatives for meeting the UP’s energy needs in response to such changes.
East Lansing Community Solar Park: MEIBC Project of the Year 2019
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Simple. Affordable. Local.
That’s community solar. It allows customers to support clean, renewable energy without having to install panels on their own roofs, while receiving on-bill utility credits. We’ve helped bring two community solar projects online, in East Lansing and Marquette, with more coming soon.
Our East Lansing project is Mid-Michigan’s first community solar park and was recently named 2019’s Project of the Year by the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council. The Lansing Board of Water & Light (BWL), City of East Lansing, Pivot Energy, and Community Energy Options, LLC partnered on the project. Participating BWL customers are supporting solar power by leasing panels for 25 years The park has 1,000 345-watt solar panels and is located at Burcham Park, a capped landfill, where we will restore the habitat with native wildflowers and grasses.
Read about Community Solar updates here.
With our partners at Pivot Energy, we have launched an online dashboard to track monthly and lifetime solar energy production and dollar savings for the project’s subscribers.
We have also partnered with meteocontrol NA for precise system monitoring of the solar park’s performance and daily operations.
Students Stand up for Solar Power
As part of an effort spearheaded by students, Michigan Energy Options (MEO) performed a building energy usage analysis and solar assessment for Okemos High School (OHS). MEO was able to identify opportunities for energy improvement in the building’s systems and related cost savings. MEO also designed the potential production and cost of solar system options on the school’s roof.
MEO assessed the OHS building and provided a customized report highlighting the most cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades, as well as comparative analyses for two solar system sizes. The report included estimates of costs, savings and payback times for the recommended upgrades. Selected upgrades included solar installation of a 20kW roof-mounted system. The solar system was installed in July 2017 by Homeland Solar, a local Michigan company.
Additionally, MEO was able to bring in one of its partners, The Ecology Center, to energy benchmark all of the Okemos Public Schools buildings. The work was completed for nine buildings and has resulted in the district now pursuing ENERGY STAR® certification.
Going for a Zero Net Energy Building
Michigan Energy Options (MEO) and other partners, including Consumers Energy, are attempting to bring an abandoned grade school back to life as a local food education and processing center that uses less energy than it produces from on-site renewables. This “zero net energy” goal is audacious and difficult to achieve, but the building owners—Tamarack Holdings—and project partners are motivated to create one of the few such buildings in the state.
Getting to zero net energy is a highly technical process, requiring precise auditing, systems modeling and creative financing. That’s, in part, why Consumers Energy has a pilot going in the state to help provide technical and financial support to projects such as our Long Lake Culinary Center, the Grand Rapids Art Museum and a handful of select others.
MEO’s technical assessments for energy efficiency and onsite renewables includes estimates of costs, savings and payback times for the recommended upgrades. Preliminary planned upgrades will save over $24,000 and more than 125,000 kilowatt (kWh) hours annually, helping the center to reallocate those dollars back toward their culinary mission
Solar Power Is for The Bees
Community solar is simple, affordable, local. It allows customers to support clean, renewable energy without having to install panels on their own roof, while receiving on-bill utility credits. We are currently implementing and managing two community solar projects in Michigan, with plans for more projects soon. Our first project is located in East Lansing on a former capped landfill. Our second project on an industrial site is in Marquette and is the Upper Peninsula’s first community solar garden.
In each location, we are not only helping to introduce clean, renewable energy into these communities, we are also introducing pollinator-friendly plants to these sites. Why? For the bees!
Lifting the Energy Burden
As part of the Nonprofit Capacity Building Energy Efficiency Program offered by the Cook Family Foundation, Michigan Energy Options (MEO) and Elevate Energy identified and selected Shiawassee County nonprofits seeking energy efficiency improvements. MEO and Elevate offered their expertise to expose areas of opportunity for energy and cost savings and assisted nonprofits in making upgrades.
The SafeCenter provides comprehensive services to the victims of domestic and sexual violence in Clinton and Shiawassee Counties. The center consists of four shelter buildings, a garage, and a storage unit. The shelters are living spaces that must be climate controlled 24/7. On average, the SafeCenter was spending $1,000 per month for water and electricity.
MEO and Elevate assessed the SafeCenter’s buildings and provided a customized report highlighting the most cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades. The report included estimates of costs, savings, and payback times for the recommended upgrades. With support from Elevate, MEO helped find qualified contractors to conduct a major lighting fixture replacement for the SafeCenter, decreasing its lighting consumption by 78%.
Strategy for a Bright Future
As part of a C.S. Mott Foundation Grant and a Nonprofit Capacity Building Energy Efficiency Program offered by the Cook Family Foundation, Michigan Energy Options (MEO) and Elevate Energy identified and selected Shiawassee County nonprofits seeking energy efficiency improvements. MEO and Elevate offered their expertise to expose areas of opportunity for energy and cost savings and assisted nonprofits in becoming financially stable.
DeVries Nature Conservancy works to help people understand local Michigan heritage by cultivating a “sense of place.” The Conservancy consists of one main nature center building, a community farm, and two large pole barns, which are open to the public year-round. Between interior lighting, office equipment, and wildlife displays, the Conservancy was spending $230 per month for utility bills.
MEO and Elevate assessed DeVries’ buildings and provided a customized report highlighting the most cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades. The report included estimates of costs, savings, and payback times for the recommended upgrades. Selected upgrades included an LED lighting retrofit and solar installation financed through lease agreement with Chart House Energy with no upfront cost to Devries Nature Conservancy. Chart House Energy utilized ITC solar tax credit and depreciation of equipment to finance the project. After year six Devries Nature Conservancy will buyout Chart House Energy and own the system to realize savings for the duration of the equipment lifetime over 25 years.
June 15, 2018 Webinar: Minimize Financial Risks and Maximize Clean Energy Benefits for Public Sector Institutions
Many public sector institutions in Michigan would like to implement more clean energy projects, but they lack the capital resources and technical expertise to move forward.
This hour-long presentation and discussion included two innovative solutions in practice in other states with the potential of becoming more widely adopted in Michigan.
The first half covered the “Public Purpose Energy Services Company” model, which allows facility-wide energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to be paid through future energy savings. The for-profit “ESCO” model has existed for some time. ESCOs seek large projects, typically costing over $1 million, that offer fast return on investment. Public purpose organizations generally have smaller potential projects, can tolerate longer payback periods than ESCOs. But identifying the right projects and financing often can be challenging for resource-constrained public institutions. A PPESCO model can help overcome that barrier.
The second half of the webinar looked at “community-based solar:” an approach to clean energy development for local institutions. One such approach could be a public institution entering into a Power Purchase Agreement with a solar developer for onsite solar that does not require that institution to provide the upfront capital costs for construction. Instead, the institution would pay a monthly electricity bill, priced to be competitive with existing utility pricing. Another approach could be “community solar parks” in which local residents, businesses and public institutions can participate in clean energy without having to locate generation on their own property.
Featured Presenters
Brian Pine, Relationship Manager, of Commons Energy, a L3C in Vermont, presented on the first-of-its kind “Public Purpose Energy Services Company” (PPESCO) model, which allows building energy efficiency improvement to be paid through performance energy savings.
Vito Greco, Senior Manager, Solar Programs, of Elevate Energy, a nonprofit based in Chicago, presented on the work to bring community solar into local neighborhoods to ensure the benefits of renewable energy are accessible to everyone.
John Kinch, Executive Director for Michigan Energy Options, moderated the webinar.
Special thanks to Rick Bunch, Allison Harris of EcoWorks, and Sarna Salzman of SEEDS for their help in making this webinar happen.
STEER Upper Peninsula Tool
Through funding from the State of Michigan Energy Office, MEO and Five Lakes Energy originally created the STEER-UP tool as an open-access integrated resource planning model for analyzing strategies to implement the Clean Power Plan. Though the implementation of the plan has been stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court, we believe STEER is still relevant to energy planning for the Upper Peninsula.
The tool automatically calculates the least-cost clean energy plan given policy options, load and price forecasts. It uses publicly available data for existing electric generating units in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. All data, inputs and formulae are visible to user and can be modified, designed to meet a balance in ease of use for the use while maintaining a high level of analytical rigor.
STEER-UP employs high resolution data: generator level data, hourly data for renewable resources, and energy efficiency options as represented in energy efficiency potential studies. In addition, the output of the STEER model identifies specific projects in which to invest or renewable resource installation to build, for least cost carbon mitigation.
Results from STEER-UP can help facilitate access to data and inform broad conversations across the Upper Peninsula and beyond about important public policy, energy planning and economic development issues and decisions.
Fluency with Excel is necessary to work with the model, but users with a range of power systems expertise can use it to create and test scenarios. Please note, this is a large Excel file and may take several minutes to download.
Click here to download the STEER-UP tool.
We are still refining the tool, updating data sets, and welcome any feedback on its usefulness and functionality. For comments, questions, or a demonstration on how to use the tool, please contact Michael Larson.
Potential Solar Development on Brownfields
Brownfields are sites in which the redevelopment or reuse of the property may be complicated by the presence or perception of contamination. The EPA cites the redevelopment of brownfields into solar generators as one of the most adaptive reuses of such sites, providing multiple benefits.
Using this mapping tool, local officials, solar developers, utilities and others can locate brownfields and retired industrial sites within the Marquette and Houghton regions, and view the solar potential and related attributes of each site, such as acreage, proximity to transmission and substations, and site ownership. All data is approximated and is not intended to replace a detailed, site-specific assessment for solar development. Data was gathered from public sources, local officials and federal and state agencies. A State of Michigan Energy Office grant made this research project possible.
MEO’s brownfield tool utilizes the mapping engine and layer function of Google Maps to provide easy visualization of U.P. brownfields. The tool is not an exhaustive inventory of potential sites. The map consists of a series of symbols and colored lines generated over the Marquette and Houghton regions. Users can refer to the key (the green schoolhouse in the middle of the map) for guidance of symbol references.
MSU Executive MBA Social Impact Project
Michigan State University happens to sit across the street from our East Lansing Office and our nonprofit has had a long, mutually beneficial relationship with this premier research institution. From employing MSU graduates and interns at MEO to collaborating on ambitious projects to create regional sustainability, Michigan State has been a critical resource for a nonprofit with limited resources. MEO is currently benefiting from a team of MSU Executive MBAs, who have selected us to be the focus of their “social impact” project for the next couple years. Together, we are examining ways a nonprofit can harness best business practices to be more effective at creating social good.
MEO Contact: John Kinch
Consumers Energy ‘Energy Savers’ Pilot
Launched in 2014, this innovative pilot focuses on helping owners of affordable multifamily housing make deeper energy efficiency upgrades to their properties to improve their bottom line and the quality of life for their tenants. Too often, in the rental-housing sector, neither the property owner nor the tenant is motivated to make energy efficiency investments because the incentive is “split” between them. Partnering with MEO are Elevate Energy, which pioneered this program in Chicago, Consumers Energy and CleaResult.
MEO Contact: Brandon Malaski
More on Consumers Energy ‘Energy Savers’ Pilot.
Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score
What if you had an energy performance measure for your house like you do for your car? Everyone understands what MPG means—and many of us use this to make an informed purchase of a car. But how well a house uses energy is often an unknown to us, whether we are considering buying it or plan to live in it for years to come. The Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score seeks to rectify this “market failure” by catalyzing the use of a standard audit across the United States that gives homeowners and other stakeholders a “score” that lets them know where a house’s energy performance stands compared to others. MEO is piloting the Home Energy Score across the state.
MEO Contact: Brandon Malaski
Advancing PACE and Other Local Energy Solutions
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing is one of several local energy solutions that MEO and partners are bringing to communities across the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Often building owners and communities want to make energy efficiency improvements but lack local enabling policies or financial options. PACE is a financing mechanism that is gaining traction throughout the state and in 2015 MEO and partners are helping to make this happen in more places. We are also helping communities to adopt model local policies that enable clean energy advancements, such as rooftop and community solar. MEO’s partners in this project are The Ecology Center, Michigan Land Use Institute and West Michigan Environmental Action Council. This work is funded through RE-AMP, a network of nonprofits and foundations across the Midwest.
MEO Contact: Michael Larson
Mid-Michigan Energy Study
A region-wide study of energy usage with recommendations for greater energy efficiency.
How much energy is consumed in buildings in the Mid-Michigan Region and is this energy used efficiently? And why does this matter to the economic, social and environmental future of this region? MEO’s study attempts to answer these questions and more.
This study provides a comprehensive portrait of energy usage in the built environment in the Michigan counties of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton with particular focus on a 20-mile transportation corridor between downtown Lansing and the village of Webberville.
The intention of this study, as with others like it across the country, is to gather, or “aggregate,” all the energy consumption (primarily sourced from electricity and natural gas) in a single year— in our case, 2012. That total then becomes the “baseline” from which the region can measure future annual consumption patterns whether these are steady, increasing or decreasing.The study includes data sources, references, methodology, recommendations and conclusions.
Online Regional Energy Planning Tool
This companion project to our study allows decisions makers and stakeholders to model different future energy scenarios, taking into account changing economic growth and demographics, among other categories, over the decades to come.This tool, we believe, is extremely useful to comprehensive Regional (Community) Energy Planning.
Our study and tool were made possible, in part, from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development “Sustainable Regional Planning” grant, as well as local matching support. The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission administered the grant from 2012-2015.
MEO Contact: Michael Larson