By SHELBY SMALL, Solutions News Bureau
Seven years ago, Erin Meyers and her husband decided it was time to make more environmentally conscious decisions when it came to how they were living. The Oakland University Communication professor soon bought an electric car and had solar panels installed on her home.
“For us, getting solar panels was a part of being environmentally conscious rather than cost-conscious. Getting an electric car but not using solar was really just trading one bad form of energy for another,” Meyers says.
Outside of the upfront costs of purchasing the solar panels and having them installed by a installation company, Meyers says that the only challenge that comes with solar panels is having to work with DTE Energy.
“It was a difficult process to get it set up with DTE and to get our system recognized by them. All of our issues with solar have been because of DTE,” Meyers says.
Meyers also finds the fact that DTE is promoting solar energy while fighting against progressive policy comical.
“It’s funny because DTE has all these ads right now that are like look at our solar future, and I’m thinking you’re lying,” Meyers says.
Currently, DTE and Consumers Energy have a cap on how much excess solar energy they can purchase from private solar users. The cap is currently at 1% for DTE, however, Consumers Energy has surpassed the 1% cap and voluntarily moved it up to 2%.
Michigan House of Representatives bill 4236 proposes removing the cap entirely. The House bill was introduced in February 2021 by Representative Gregory Markkanen. The bill went to the Committee on Energy where it was eventually brought back out to the floor. Even with the 12 co-sponsors, the bill has not been successfully passed through the Michigan legislature.
From the viewpoint of local renewable energy activists, such as the Executive Director of Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association (GLREA), John Freeman, the cap is straining Michigan’s ability to expand solar energy.
Freeman also says utility companies such as DTE and Consumers Energy are responsible for the halt in the legislation. Although, he understands utility companies’ reluctance to support the removal of the cap.
“Utility companies do not want this (removal of the cap) as they would have to pay individual consumers, and they would lose customers,” Freeman says.
GLREA was founded by Freeman in 1991 to raise awareness about climate change and educate Michigan residents about renewable energy alternatives. The organization’s mission is to “educate and enable homeowners, farmers, and businesses to save money and protect our environment by installing a renewable energy system,” according to the GLREA website.
Over the past 30 years, GLREA has stayed true to its mission with the help of over 400 members and 16 executive board members. Although Freeman remains the only permanent staff member of the organization.
An integral part of the non-profit organization is education. Ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, GLREA has hosted a Solar Stories program weekly. During this time, members get to share stories of their personal installations and experiences, while the executive board leads discussions on renewable energy statistics and policy goals in Michigan.
In addition to education, GLREA also meets with local and state officials to advocate for policies that expand and protect renewable energy. GLREA’s advocacy work has proved successful in recent years in the Michigan legislator.
Back in 2019, GLREA was able to successfully advocate against a property tax increase for homes with recent solar installations. Governor Whitmer signed legislation into law stated cities or municipalities could no longer increase taxes for residents with solar panels. One major reason was that the tax increase negated the financial incentive for installing solar.
“We argued that it was in the state’s best interest to encourage people and small businesses to install solar in order to fight climate change and save money,” Freeman says.
Currently, GLREA focuses on two main policy goals. The first is advocating for the removal of the cap on what percentage of solar systems utilities companies must connect to the grid. The other main policy goal, getting legislation passed to allow for community solar.
“Community solar gives everyone the opportunity to be a part of solar energy. A lot of working-class people are not able to afford the upfront cost. However, we still want them to be able to have access to solar energy, so the solution is community solar,” Freeman says.
Community solar serves as a solution for a plethora of equity issues in solar. The first is, not every house is built right for solar. Most houses are only compatible if they have a lot of direct sunlight which directly hits the south end of their house. In addition, trees or other structures could obstruct the pathway between the sun and the panels.
Community solar also provides an opportunity for those who live in apartments or condos. As well as allowing for lower or middle-income individuals to be a part of solar energy and save money on their utility bills. Although, not every apartment would be able to adapt to community solar, as individuals would need their own individual energy meters.
Freeman often uses states such as Minnesota to compare with Michigan’s renewable energy policies as they have similar climates. Minnesota, unlike Michigan, passed a law back in 2013 to allow for community solar. According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Minnesota has implemented over 400 community solar projects since the law was passed.
As GLREA is a non-profit organization, there are limits to how much policy advocacy the organization can do. In addition, most of their members work other jobs and have other responsibilities outside of their commitment to GLREA. Limits on advocacy and time restraints, mixed with the lobbying of utility companies have made their current policy goals hard to achieve.
Freeman however is confident GLREA will continue to make changes in Michigan’s renewable energy policy, through the dedication of board members and the love for the planet they all share.
“The inspiration we take is essentially from ourselves, as we have people that are committed to making a change, to fighting climate change, and wanting to use renewable energy to generate electricity rather than coal out of love for the environment and love for this planet,” Freeman says.