FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 15, 2019
Contact: Nick Assendelft 517-284-8300
Customer Assistance: 800-292-9555
www.michigan.gov/mpsc
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LANSING, Mich. – Wind generation continues to be the primary source of alternative energy in Michigan, according to the Michigan Public Service Commission’s ninth annual report on renewable power, released today.
Utility-scale wind turbine projects generated 69 percent of the approximately 3,000 megawatts of nameplate capacity in 2018, the same as the previous year, according to the Report on the Implementation and Cost-Effectiveness of the P.A. 295 Renewable Energy Standard. Solar installations generated 4 percent of renewable power, up from 3 percent the previous year.
Among the other renewable energy power sources, hydroelectric facilities accounted for 12 percent of capacity, biomass, 7 percent; landfill gas, 5 percent; and municipal solid waste, 3 percent.
There are 25 utility-scale wind projects in Michigan, generating 1,925 megawatts of power. Four more are planned, totaling more than 555 megawatts of new wind generation:
Other findings from the annual report:
Under Public Act 295, electric providers were required to meet a 10 percent renewable energy standard based on retail sales by the end of 2015. Public Act 342 of 2016 increased the requirement to at least 12.5 percent for 2019 and 2020 and 15 percent by the end of 2021. All providers subject to the state’s renewable energy standard met the goals.
Electric provider annual reports for 2009-17 are available on the Commission’s website.
For information about the MPSC, visit www.michigan.gov/mpsc, sign up for one of its listservs, or follow the Commission on Twitter. To watch a livestream of the MPSC’s meetings, click here.
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