Renewable Technology in Michigan

2010 will be the year that Michigan reasserts itself as a leader in world manufacturing. Moving into a global economy no longer entirely dependent on the auto makers, Michigan will now showcase what Governor Granholm's energy advisor calls "The New Big Three".

The New Big Three
The New Big three is Skip Prusse's designation for the emerging job creation industries in Michigan, wind, solar and advanced batteries. Michigan has an enormous wind resource and the manufacturing potential to be a leader in the industry. Advanced battery production is jump starting employment with thousands of new jobs in a new field that will support the emerging electric and hybrid car market. And Michigan is already the leading producer of the high purity polycrystalline silicon that modern solar panels are made of.

GM's plug in hybrid
General Motors, fresh out of bankruptcy proceedings, has announced that the new Chevy Volt will be the centerpiece of a new line of plug-in hybrid cars. The Volt, which is planned to run 40 miles in electric only mode, is rated at 230 mpg in the city, according to guidelines from the EPA.

In August 2009, the Natural Resources Defense Council released a new report] from Synapse Energy, a consulting firm, showing that Michigan can meet all of its energy needs "a combination of wind power, biomass, and other sources of renewable energy coupled with aggressive energy efficiency programs."

The Volt announcement came in the wake of long awaited announcements of federal stimulus grants for advanced battery research and production in Michigan. About $1 billion in grants would go to companies and universities based in Michigan -- the largest share of grant funding going to any one st, according to UPI.

Companies benefiting from the grants included A123, which will supply batteries for Chrysler, Johnson Controls and Dow Chemical.

The conservative Saginaw News editorialized that the new battery ventures were part of a ""seismic shift" in the state's economic future" The paper wrote that "A large part of that future for the state, it turns out, will be in alternative energy.

In a blog entry published on The Huffington Post, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm declared, "You can feel the electricity in the air", and "That Michigan got such a large share of the battery grants was not by happenstance. We competed for it; we fought for it; and we won." The first large-scale wind turbine farms sprouted several years ago in the Thumb to lead the way in that clean energy. Ethanol is produced from corn at a plant in Caro.

Delta Community College, located not far from the new Dow advanced Battery facility, has announced plans for a program to train workers for the new plant.

Delta College hopes to create an education program to help prepare people to work at an advanced battery manufacturing plant the Dow Chemical Co. plans to build in Midland.

The Bay County college already has a successful chemical process technology program that trains people to work at Dow, as well as chemical-industry employers Dow Corning Corp. and Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. Now, the college is exploring what it can offer to help Dow Chemical fill jobs at the new battery factory

Dow Corning Corp., based at the intersection of Midland, Saginaw and Bay counties at US-10 and M-47, chose its Thomas Township plant for two of three expansions in its Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. production of polycrystalline silicon. used mostly for computer chips before, the silicon forms the basis for building solar energy devices."

Training and Testing Center Proposed
The Grand Rapids Press reports that several universities and community colleges throughout Michigan have been cooperating on a proposal to bring a renewable energy training and testing center to Michigan, at a site envisioned for Allegan County. According to the Press, "Grand Rapids Community College, encouraged by The Right Place economic development group, has succeeded in getting eight West Michigan community colleges -- from Traverse City all the way down to Kalamazoo, Saint Joseph and Battle Creek -- to cooperate on one big idea to promote wind energy in West Michigan. Grand Valley State and Ferris State universities are also on board.....The center would train skilled workers to service the turbines and wind farms that are popping up like summer sunflowers throughout the country."

A local economic development group, The Right Place is a prime mover in bringing the educational institutions together on the project. "Right Place President Birgit Klohs estimates there's a window of just a few years for West Michigan to prove itself a player in the wind market.." according to the story. "Within just a few years, Michigan may have 1,000 wind turbines turning to meet demands of the state's renewable portfolio standards, rules that require electric suppliers by 2015 to get 10 percent of electricity from renewable sources."

Delta Community College, one of the nation's leading community colleges, has announced a training program for Alternative Energy/Wind Turbine Technologists. The two year program will include math and physics training, along with the mechanics of turbine blades and generators. Students will learn how to trouble shoot complex wind systems, and to work as a team. The course description notes, "Working about 250 feet above the ground requires this professional to set aside any fears of heights."

Small Hydro in Michigan
Michigan has there are more than 2,500 dams, many of them old and in poor repair -- with little consensus on what to do with them.

Some observers feel that dams should be removed, allowing Rivers to run free, and restoring fisheries and habitat. Removing dams would also lower the threat of dam failure on downstream communities. In the Ionia County community of Lyons, a battle is being waged between two views of whether a local dam should be upgraded, or removed.

The small dam, built in 1857 to power a flour mill, generated electrical power between 1913 and 1959. A California entrepreneur says he wants to rehabilitate the dam and produce enough power to light 250 homes. Others in the community disagree, pitting one "green" option against another.

Energy Efficiency Program Off to Strong Start
Consumer Energy's new efficiency program has exceeded the company's expectations, quickly becoming one of the utilities most popular programs. Two popular options that are part of the program are replacing light bulbs with newer, more energy efficient models - at lower cost - which has generated sales of 750,000 bulbs for retailers around the state. Original projections were that 2000 customers would take advantage of incentives for new, more efficient appliances. The program has drawn 12,000 applicants. The six-year goal is to reduce electric usage by 6 percent and gas usage by 4 percent. In an interview with the Jackson Citizen Patriot, Consumer's spokesman Terry Mierzwa, executive manager of marketing, energy efficiency and research said the company has exceeded its targets so far.