Cleaning Up Michigan’s Grid

Shoppers Vitality lately had their long-range vitality plan or Built-in Useful resource Plan (IRP) accepted. This plan offers a vital roadmap for a way a utility firm can supply and supply vitality whereas serving to Michigan make progress on decreasing their planet-warming greenhouse gasoline emissions (GHGs). This IRP is a good case examine in how a utility firm can take bold motion on local weather change and the function that native advocates can play in making that dream a actuality.

Shoppers’ plan commits to slashing tens of millions of tons of health-harming air air pollution and greenhouse gases (GHGs) from its grid within the coming years. Shoppers’ IRP will considerably scale back Michigan’s energy sector emissions and contribute to the state’s MI Wholesome Local weather Plan local weather objectives of a 52% emission discount (under 2005 ranges) by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.  Shoppers’ plan additionally furthers the Wholesome Local weather Plan’s objective of retiring Michigan’s coal vegetation by 2030. Shoppers set the bar for different Michigan utilities to comply with, together with DTE Electrical, which can file its IRP in October.

Shoppers’ unique plan included a number of emission-reducing actions like committing to retire its remaining coal plant, the J.H. Campbell Plant, in 2025 and including greater than 6,000 megawatts (MWs) of solar energy to the utility’s era combine by 2040. Nonetheless, it additionally included plans to buy 4 gasoline vegetation, three of which have been owned by the utility’s company affiliate, CMS Enterprises. If Shoppers have been allowed to purchase the gasoline vegetation, they’d have continued to emit carbon and dangerous air air pollution into the environment for a minimum of one other 20 years, undercutting the advantages from the coal plant retirement, photo voltaic deployment, and different measures. A various coalition of advocates emerged to weigh in on these measures.

The coalition’s advocacy within the IRP authorized proceedings and public discourse created the situations for the historic IRP settlement settlement to come up.  Contained in the case, advocates put strain on the utility’s proposed gasoline plant acquisitions.  They introduced proof of flaws in Shoppers’ Request for Proposal (RFP) course of and will present how the utility’s unjustified gas-only RFP gave preferential therapy to CMS’s gasoline vegetation. 

With the advantage of laptop modeling, coalition members additionally offered three various useful resource plans that have been cleaner and cheaper than Shoppers’ plan.  One of many various plans maintained the 2025 retirement date for the Campbell Plant items, omitted the CMS-owned gasoline vegetation from the corporate’s IRP, and crammed the capability deficits from the retiring coal plant items with extra renewables, vitality effectivity, demand response, and vitality storage.  This various useful resource plan set the stage for Shoppers’ accepted IRP. 

Externally, the coalition engaged with hundreds of Michigan residents to name for Shoppers to maneuver away from coal and gasoline to more healthy, extra reasonably priced, renewable wind and photo voltaic, vitality effectivity, and battery storage. This advocacy resulted in additional than 4,500 Michiganders submitting public feedback to the Michigan Public Service Fee. The advocates’ engagement efforts, internally and externally, created strain on the utility to settle the case.

On the muse of this robust advocacy work, a gaggle of stakeholders have been profitable in reaching probably the most bold settlements on utility era in Michigan’s historical past. That settlement included:

• Shoppers shifting fully off coal by 2025 with the retirement of the Campbell Energy Plant.
• Stopping Shoppers from buying the three gasoline vegetation owned by its company affiliate.
• Dedication to exchange the Campbell Plant’s capability with a mix of renewable vitality, battery storage, and different clear sources.
• Dedication that Shoppers’ subsequent IRP will embody extra details about the well being impacts related to major particulate matter and precursor emissions (nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, Risky Natural Compounds)  from their vegetation.
• Dedication to increasing public engagement efforts within the subsequent IRP.  
• Dedication to constructing 6,000 MWs of photo voltaic by 2040.

The wins achieved in Shoppers’ IRP are a big step towards jump-starting Michigan’s clear vitality transition, assembly our local weather objectives, and bettering air high quality and public well being outcomes.

A lot Extra Work Forward: DTE IRP

Whereas the Shoppers’ IRP settlement was an essential win, different Michigan utilities have a lot additional to go.  To stay inside 1.5° Celsius of common warming above pre-industrial ranges to keep away from the worst results of local weather change, Michigan utilities should step up and be daring on assembly local weather objectives. DTE Electrical should match Shoppers in ambition after they file their IRP in October.

DTE should retire its two remaining coal vegetation, the Belle River Energy Plant, and the Monroe Energy Plant inside this decade. The Monroe plant is especially problematic as it’s the nation’s fourth largest emitter of air pollution^[1], sixth highest water polluter, and seventh highest air polluter^[2]. For the well being and well-being of Michiganders, DTE ought to retire a minimum of two items of the Monroe Energy Plant by 2028, and  transfer Belle River’s Energy retirement up from 2028 to 2025.

Transferring up the retirement dates for each DTE’s remaining coal vegetation will considerably scale back Michigan’s GHG emissions.  Research from Pure Assets Protection Council, Harvard College, and Assets for the Future, agree that emission reductions should occur quickest within the energy sector. We should obtain 80% GHG emission reductions from renewables and zero-carbon sources by 2030. Any delay  in eliminating emissions from the facility sector will delay different sectors, like transportation,  and make it costlier to remove their emissions. 

Along with coal plant retirement, DTE should embody the next of their IRP:

• Commit to not construct gasoline vegetation and infrastructure
• Exceed Shoppers’ dedication so as to add 6,000 MWs of photo voltaic and 550 MW of vitality storage
• Exceed 2% annual vitality effectivity financial savings

DTE could make related positive aspects in its transition away from fossil fuels and towards clear, pollution-free energy. The utility is not going to do that solely by itself. It should require robust advocacy and the voices of all involved residents to battle for the local weather motion everyone knows is important in Michigan.

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