The Public Service Commission and the
Michigan Energy Office sent their renewable energy report (available here)
to Governor Rick Snyder this week. Included in the report is information on
renewable portfolio standard eligibility for biomass, ground source heat pumps,
and solar thermal energy.
The new report states that it is quite
possible that the state could generate up to 30 percent of its power from
renewable sources located in the state.
An energy law overhaul was signed in 2008 by
then Governor Jennifer Granholm that included many standards with a 2015
sunset. These standards will need to be revisited prior to that sunset.
The report shows an expected dominance by
wind energy with 93.8 percent of the market share along with anaerobic biomass
at 2.23 percent and solar operations with 1.78 percent of the market share. Governor
Snyder is expected to make recommendations in December on how to improve the
state’s energy future.