LANSING – Michigan representatives today introduced a series of bills to contribute to Michigan’s growing clean, renewable energy industry.
Legislators behind the bills include: Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte), Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) and Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan), and state Reps. Gregory Markkanen (R-Hancock) and Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor).
The Powering Michigan Forward package addresses obstacles to Michigan’s renewable energy industry by eliminating the limit on distributed generation throughout the state, determining a value for solar and reverting to a system based on monthly netting of renewable energy.
Lawmakers are looking forward to lifting the cap on the distributed generation because of the impact it has made on the solar industry to date.
“The current limit on distributed generation has the potential to slam the brakes on the Michigan solar industry, shuttering businesses and costing Michigan jobs – from the Upper Peninsula to downtown Detroit,” McBroom said in a press release.
Rabhi added:“The new distributed generation tariff – a result of the 2016 energy law rewrite – has created needless challenges and roadblocks for the solar industry,” he said. “These bills ensure fair value and give ratepayers proper compensation for the energy they contribute to the grid.”
Companies like Northeastern Products Corp. (NEPCO) have reported high electrical costs as a key issue affecting company growth and have expressed interest in using renewable energy to drive down cost for ratepayers.
