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MMEA Currents Page 1
DTE Energy’s Echo Wind
Park Begins Commercial
Operation
Developing Values,
Visions, and Strategies
Coldwater BPU
Breaks Ground on
Natural Gas-Fueled
Peaking Plant
October 2014
MMEA CurrentsPage 2
Cover Photo: Crane on the Saginaw River, Bay City, Michigan
CURRENTS contents
Current Developments:
6 Coldwater BPU Breaks Ground on Natural Gas-Fueled Peaking Plant
8 ‘Solar Power-Dok’ Picnic Table to be Unveiled at City Market
8 Traverse City Fall Clean Up & Green Up Event
9 I&M Announces Clean Energy Solar Pilot Project
10 Consumers Energy Named One of Top 15 Most Sustainable Energy Providers in Worldwide Survey
12 Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP and ParenteBeard LLC Announce Merger
12 Cook Nuclear Plant Unit 1 Achieves Second Consecutive Record Breaking Run
Energy and Utility News:
3 Developing Values, Visions and Strategies
16MISOConirmsBeneitsofMVP Projects
16 Energy Department Reports Highlight Strength of U.S. Wind Energy Industry
17 Employment
18 MMEA Fall Conference Scrapbook
20 Calendar of Events
20 Fast Facts
14 DTE Energy’s Echo Wind Park Begins Commercial Operation
15 MMEA Welcomes Two New Associate Members
October 2014
MMEA Currents Page 3
Guest Article
(See, Strategies, continued on page 4)
HOMETOWN CONNECTIONS
Developing Values, Visions,
and StrategiesBy Susan Ryba
This article appears in the November-December 2014 issue of Public Power magazine.
Every two years, to help maintain a good working relationship between
the Board of Public Utilities Commission and the general manager,
Norwich Public Utilities in Connecticut brings in a neutral professional
to facilitate a self-assessment review process. For its most recent review,
NPU turned to the consulting team of Hometown Connections.
The utility services subsidiary of the American Public Power Association, Hometown
Connections maintains expertise in the energy industry and municipal governance.
Hometown Connections offers pre-designed services in the areas of strategic planning
and utility evaluation, as well as customized board/staff consulting, facilitation and
training services.
“We make effective communications between the Board and my ofice a top priority,” said John Bilda, General Manager, NPU. “The half-day retreats enable us to discuss
together in an organized way our plans, policies, goals and procedures on a regular
basis.” For the 2014 review, NPU brought in Tim Blodgett, president and chief executive oficer of Hometown Connections.
In advance of the on-site review, Blodgett studied NPU’s strategic plan, governing
documents, and answers to a pre-retreat questionnaire distributed to the Board.
During the review, he shared speciic advice for strategies that have proved effective at other public power organizations. For example, the NPU Board members had
struggled with the demands of understanding the intricacies of all four utility
services—natural gas, electricity, water and wastewater collection. At Blodgett’s
recommendation, each board member will study one of these services in great
detail and help the rest of the board address the related issues. “Tim Blodgett did an
excellent job for us,” Bilda said. “I feel the time spent with Tim was very productive, and the feedback from the Board has been very positive.”
Electric Cities of Georgia provides economic and strategic services to 52 community-owned utility systems. “The ECG executive management team agreed unanimously
MMEA CurrentsPage 4
Strategiescontinued from page 3
to bring in Hometown to facilitate our strategic
planning process,” said John M. Giles, President and CEO. “Our sales afiliate relationship with Hometown and the developing interpersonal relationships have
proven to be the vehicle that makes ECG look to
Hometown for solutions. We were very pleased to see
Tim’s process focused on the governance issues of
interest to ECG’s Board of Directors.”
According to Giles, “the most valuable input from
Tim came from his experiences with public power
entities across the country. He incorporated these
12 individuals. IMEA leadership decided this was the perfect time to examine collectively the organization’s
mission and objectives. To help facilitate this review
of IMEA’s strategic direction and planning, IMEA
brought in the consulting team from Hometown
Connections. IMEA is a marketing afiliate, helping to promote Hometown’s products and services to the
IMEA membership.
“We felt the best way to ensure we were on the right
track was to bring in an experienced, objective, third-
party to facilitate this discussion, as well as provide
insight, support and feedback,” said Peggy Georgi, IMEA’s chief executive oficer. Steve VanderMeer, Hometown’s Senior Vice President—Planning &
Marketing, facilitated the strategic planning session
with IMEA’s board and senior staff. “Steve was an
excellent facilitator,” Georgi said. “His demeanor and leadership style helped participants feel comfortable
and engaged. His breadth of knowledge coupled with
nearly two decades of experience with Hometown
Connections and public power organizations across
the country was extremely beneicial from many respects.”
To Liz Kirkley, electric utility director at the City
of Lodi, California, the time is right to develop a
long-term strategic plan and the logical irst step of that process was to conduct an Organization Check
Up (OCU) with Hometown Connections. The OCU
provides a quick assessment of the key areas of
utility management and operations. Tim Blodgett and
Bill Smart of Hometown Connections led the OCU.
Kirkley said, “Tim and Bill did a great job guiding
this effort as independent observers, looking with
fresh eyes at our policies and procedures, explaining
how other public power systems are addressing
many of our same challenges. Ultimately, their
recommendations conirmed that our plans for new initiatives related to distribution system maintenance
and IT support are on track.”
Susan Ryba serves as a marketing consultant for
Hometown Connections
experiences in a timely manner as we went through
the strategic planning process. Our outcome could not
have been better. ECG developed values, visions and
the necessary strategies. ECG staff and our seven-
member Board became a better uniied, focused team through this process.”
For the Indiana Municipal Electric Association, a lot
was happening all at once. Within a short period of
time, IMEA welcomed a new chief executive oficer, established the full-time position of safety & training
director, and expanded the number of members
serving on the IMEA Board of Directors from 10 to
“We felt the best way to
ensure we were on the
right track was to bring in
an experienced, objective,
third-party to facilitate
this discussion, as well as
provide insight, support and
feedback.”
--Peggy Georgi, IMEA Chief Executive Oficer
MMEA Currents Page 5
MMEA CurrentsPage 6
Current Developments
MMEA Member News
Coldwater BPU Breaks
Ground on Natural Gas-
Fueled Peaking Plant
The Coldwater Board of Public Utilities (CBPU)
recently celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony
for their future natural gas-fueled generation asset.
Michigan South Central Power Agency (MSCPA),
public power provider for CBPU, has chosen GE’s
low-emissions reciprocating engine technology to
meet the capacity needs for the City of Coldwater.
The peaking project corresponds with the expansion
of Mastronardi Produce’s Coldwater greenhouse by
28.8 acres to grow peppers.
The GE engines will be supplied by Inland Power
Group for the CBPU to produce 13 megawatts (MW) of peak power generation. The project also
will provide the capability for the CBPU to partner
with Mastronardi Produce to supply carbon dioxide
(CO2) and heat for the greenhouse.
During the groundbreaking ceremony for the new
plant, CBPU, MSCPA, and Inland Power Group’s
leaders explained their selection of three GE
Jenbacher J624 two-stage gas engines to replace Coldwater’s diesel units, which were removed by the
city over the past two years. The new engines will
provide enough electricity to power the equivalent
of 13,000 American homes, and for maximum eficiency, the plant also will have the ability to use captured heat and CO2 combined heat and power (CHP) and has been successfully implemented
at other greenhouses across the globe. from the
engines to help grow the greenhouse’s vegetables.
This innovative process is known as combined
heat and power (CHP) and has been successfully
implemented at other greenhouses across the globe.
“We are excited to begin construction on this new
facility to help power the City of Coldwater and
support our mission of providing cost-effective
and reliable electric service to our customers,” said Director Paul Beckhusen, CBPU. “I look forward to
this new natural gas-fueled plant to start operating
next year as we diversify our energy generation
portfolio and provide a unique opportunity
to support Michigan’s growth in greenhouse
agriculture.”
Michigan’s agricultural sector contributes $91.4 billion dollars to the state economy, and more
than 923,000 people are employed in the industry. To help maintain the agricultural industry’s
success year-round, the new plant is expected to
be operational in mid-2015—just in time for the fall season’s colder weather to set in and when
traditional vegetable growing becomes nearly
impossible.
Inland Power Group (IPG), an authorized
distributor for GE’s distributed power products
in the Midwestern United States, will oversee
the engineering and coniguration support for the CBPU. In addition to supplying the engines, GE
will support integration of the plant’s equipment
with the greenhouse. GE has a successful history
of developing CHP projects for greenhouses
worldwide with more than 1,000 engines of similar conigurations delivered today.
“For more than 50 years, we have been proud to call the Midwest our home, and we are thrilled to work
with CBPU and MSCPA on bringing high-eficiency power to the area of Coldwater,” said Jon Going, director of sales for Jenbacher gas engines at Inland
Power Group. “We are proud to have been selected
for this project and look forward to providing GE’s
latest distributed power technology as a new solution
for peak power demand.”
MMEA Currents Page 7
VALUE DELIVERED.
It’s what we do. And it’s what we’ve been doing for more
than 40 years. Solomon Corporation is proud to be a
valuable, full-service partner for your transformer needs.
When it’s on the line, we’re here. Today and tomorrow.
Call us today
Call Bryan Kroeker at 800.234.2867 Ext 134,
MMEA CurrentsPage 8
Current Developments
‘Solar Power-Dok’ Picnic
Table to be Unveiled at
City Market
The Lansing Board of Water & Light and Live
Green Lansing, the City of Lansing’s sustainability
initiative, unveiled the city’s irst Solar Power-Dok picnic table recently at the Lansing City Market.
Developed by EnerFusion,
a Lansing company, the
table is designed to provide
self-sustaining, green
energy wherever it is placed
outdoors with access to
direct sunlight. With its
innovative design, it provides
users with surge protected
electricity delivered via 4
GFCI outlets and 4 USB
power outlets. It will be
installed on the upper patio
of the City Market, facing
the Grand River where
wireless internet will be
accessible to users and solar
exposure is ideal throughout
the year. Visitors to the City Market will now be able
to charge their cell phones and power their laptops
while enjoying a great view of downtown Lansing!
The Solar Power-Dok table showcases the ingenuity
of Michigan makers and demonstrates how cities,
universities and businesses can integrate green
technology into their operations.
Live Green Lansing promotes the adoption of green
technologies in the region.
Traverse City Fall Clean
Up & Green Up Event
Traverse City Light & Power (TCL&P) will once
again be participating in the Clean Up & Green Up
free community recycling event on November 2.
TCL&P customers can bring their working,
yet ineficient room air conditioning units or dehumidiiers and receive a $15 credit on their next utility bill. Customers can also bring in their
working, yet ineficient refrigerators or freezers (10 to 30 cubic feet in size) and receive a $60 bill credit. Customers are asked to bring a copy of
their electric bill to receive the credit.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
at the American Waste facility located at 480 Hughes Drive, Traverse City.
For additional event information, visit the
Clean Up & Green Up event website at www.
cleanupgreenup.com.
MMEA Currents Page 9
Associate & Afiliate Member News
I&M Announces Clean
Energy Solar Pilot Project
Indiana Michigan Power plans to build and operate
ive solar generation facilities, adding another emission-free source of power to the company’s
generation portfolio, which already includes nuclear,
wind and hydro.
If approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory
Commission, the Clean Energy Solar Pilot Project
will have a combined generation capacity of about 16 megawatts, producing energy equivalent to powering
more than 2,500 homes for a year.
I&M’s Clean Energy Solar generation facilities will
be located in different areas of the company’s service
territory in the two states. Facilities are tentatively
expected to be located in the Muncie-Marion area,
South Bend area and in Michigan, but locations of all
ive facilities have yet to be inalized.
“I&M constantly looks at emerging technologies and
our customers’ evolving needs, and now is the right
time to move forward with solar power,” said Paul Chodak III, President and Chief Operating Oficer of Indiana Michigan Power.
“With this project, I&M will further broaden the
diversity of our power generation, with three sources
of renewable energy – solar, wind and water,” Chodak added. “In addition, more than one-third of the power
we produce comes from the emission-free Cook
Nuclear Plant.”
Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in early
2016, with completion expected in in late 2016.
In addition to the new source of clean energy, I&M
will use the Clean Energy Solar Pilot Project as an
opportunity to study irst-hand the various facets of designing, constructing and operating a utility-scale
solar facility. Being owner and operator of the Clean
Energy Solar Pilot Project facilities will enable I&M
to become proicient in operating solar generation and integrating it reliably into the transmission grid.
“We will use the knowledge we gain from operating
this pilot project to help offer customers additional
safe, reliable, clean energy as we further expand solar
production and examine other generation options in
the future,” Chodak said.
I&M recognizes that many customers have expressed
a desire for access to more power produced by
solar and other clean, renewable sources. The Clean
Energy Solar Pilot Project will give customers the
opportunity to begin buying solar power from a
trusted, experienced company staffed with qualiied professionals.
I&M is also seeking approval from state regulators to
give customers the option of showing further support
for solar power by subscribing to receive 50 kilowatt hour blocks of Solar Renewable Energy Credits
through the new Green Power Program.
The estimated cost of the project is $38 million. If approved by the IURC, the project would result in
a minimal impact on customer rates of less than 1 percent.
“I&M constantly looks at
emerging technologies and our
customers’ evolving needs, and
now is the right time to move
forward with solar power.”
--Paul Chodak III, President and Chief Operating Oficer of Indiana Michigan Power.
MMEA CurrentsPage 10
Current Developments
Consumers Energy
Named One of Top 15 Most Sustainable Energy
Providers in Worldwide
Survey
Consumers Energy has been ranked among the
top energy providers in the world for sustainable
environmental, social and economic practices.
Rankings from Sustainalytics, a leading global
research irm that measures sustainable business practices for investors, place Consumers Energy 14th out of 226 energy providers worldwide.
“Our Promise is to care for the Michigan communities
we serve in every Lower Peninsula county. That
starts with doing right from a business perspective,
and also making sure Michigan residents can shape
our environmental and community efforts,” said Dennis Dobbs, Consumers Energy’s vice president of
generation engineering and services.
“We are working with the communities we serve,
local leaders and regulators to preserve and protect
Michigan’s people and natural resources.”
Other examples of Consumers Energy’s commitment
to sustainability:
Improving air and water quality -- Michigan’s air
is the cleanest it has been in a generation, thanks in
part to reduced emissions from the company’s power
plants. That work will continue, with the company
plan to reduce carbon emissions by more than 20 percent and mercury by 80 percent. Consumers Energy also plans to reduce its water intensity by 20 percent by 2020.
Developing renewable energy – Consumers Energy
will open its second wind farm, Cross Winds® Energy
Park, this fall. This addition should help Consumers
Energy to generate 10 percent of its electricity from renewable sources a year ahead of schedule. The
company has more than 200 contracts with Michigan homes and businesses that provide solar energy, and it
started an anaerobic digester program with Michigan
farms this year.
Caring for communities – Employees, retirees, the
company and foundation gave more than $8 million to Michigan nonproits last year. Employees led a record Walk for Warmth campaign this spring and
donated 50,000 hours of community service last year to local charities and non-proits. The company is also supporting various United Way organizations this fall.
Supply chain -- Developing a more sustainable supply
chain to help improve the environmental and social
performance of suppliers.
“’Leaving it better than we found it’ is a frequently
used saying around our company,” Dobbs said, “and it’s especially true when it comes to our efforts to
sustain our communities and make Michigan a better
place to live for generations to come.”
“We are working with the
communities we serve, local
leaders and regulators
to preserve and protect
Michigan’s people and natural
resources.”
--Dennis Dobbs, Consumers Energy’s vice president of generation engineering and services
MMEA Currents Page 11
MMEA CurrentsPage 12
Baker Tilly Virchow
Krause, LLP and
ParenteBeard LLC
Announce Merger
Combined irm further strengthens presence in Northeast Corridor, bolsters industry and
service specialization strategy
Accounting and advisory irms Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP (Baker Tilly) and ParenteBeard LLC
have announced the merger of the two irms, with an anticipated effective date of October 1, 2014. The name of the combined irm will be Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP.
“As independent members of Baker Tilly
International, our two irms have worked collaboratively and successfully for many years
and on many fronts,” said Baker Tilly Chairman and Chief Executive Oficer Timothy L. Christen. “This merger is an opportunity for two successful,
complementary irms to join forces and create even greater opportunities for our people while broadening
our geographic footprint and deepening our industry
and service specialization capabilities to better serve
our clients as Valued Business Advisors.”
A combined Baker Tilly/ParenteBeard will further
expand and strengthen the irm’s presence in the Northeast Corridor with a physical presence from the
inancial capital of the world (New York) to America’s Capital (DC), serving inancial, manufacturing, real estate, technology, commercial and governmental
clients and helping to build the Baker Tilly brand in
important markets from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to
New York.
“ParenteBeard and Baker Tilly share a common
culture and values that emphasize a dedication to
Exceptional Client Service and creating opportunities
for our people to grow and develop in their careers,” said ParenteBeard Chairman and Chief Executive
Oficer Robert J. Ciaruffoli. “Our clients will beneit from even deeper industry knowledge and resources,
as well as a broader depth of talent to deliver
customized solutions to help them solve their business
challenges.”
The combined irm will employ approximately 2,500 professionals across 29 cities in the U.S., with total annual revenue of $475 million – making Baker Tilly
one of the 12 largest professional services irms in the country.
Current Developments
Cook Nuclear Plant
Unit 1 Achieves Second Consecutive Record
Breaking Run
Indiana Michigan Power’s Cook Nuclear Plant Unit
1 broke its previous record for capacity factor and completed its second consecutive breaker-to-breaker
fuel cycle when it began its 25th refueling outage in September.
The capacity factor of 101.4 percent beats the previous record of 101.3 percent that was set in the previous fuel cycle that ended in the spring of 2013. It is possible to run greater than 100 percent capacity by gaining eficiencies through lower than normal lake water temperatures. The unit ran for 493 consecutive
days, which is the second longest run ever. Running
continuously between refueling outages is known
in the industry as a breaker-to-breaker run as the
unit’s output circuit breakers remained connected to
the transmission grid for the entire 18-month fuel cycle. The projected total fuel cycle generation is
12,332,534 megawatt-hours.
MMEA Currents Page 13
Cook Unit 2 remains at 100 percent power. That unit has also completed the last two fuel cycles at full
capacity.
“Both Cook units are running extremely well, in
fact, better than ever,” said Larry Weber, AEP Chief Nuclear Oficer and Senior Vice President. “We will enter Unit 1’s period of extended operation with safe, reliable and low-cost generation ready to serve our
customers for the next 20 years.”
One of the LCM projects this outage is replacement
of two 58-ton Feedwater Heaters that pre-heat water before it enters the Steam Generators. Steam passes
around 2,915 ive-eighth inch U-tubes that run the length of the 41 foot shell. There is also a new digital control system. The plant was not originally
designed to replace these large components so some
signiicant structural adjustments have been made to accommodate the replacement.
Over the course of the outage, about 2,500 contracted workers will supplement the regular 1,198-person plant staff. More than 10,000 maintenance, inspection and equipment modiication job activities totaling more than 268,000 work-hours are scheduled for two daily 12-hour work shifts throughout the outage. The expected outage duration is not released for
commercial reasons.
At full capacity, the 1,030-net MW Unit 1 and 1,077-net MW Unit 2 combined produce enough electricity for more than one and one half million average
homes.
MMEA CurrentsPage 14
DTE Energy’s Echo Wind
Park Begins Commercial
Operation
DTE Energy’s Echo Wind Park has reached
commercial operation and company oficials celebrated its dedication in the shadow of one of 70 wind turbines in the park.
The Echo Wind Park in Huron
County adds another 112 megawatts (MW) to DTE Energy’s
renewable energy portfolio, or
enough to power 52,000 homes. The wind park, primarily in
Oliver and Chandler townships in
Michigan’s Thumb area, is sited
on nearly 16,000 acres. The wind park is the fourth to be owned and
operated by DTE Energy.
This is DTE’s irst wind energy project that will tie into a new
345,000-volt transmission system built to handle all the renewable
energy lowing onto the electric grid in the Thumb.
“At DTE Energy, we’re supportive of renewable
energy as part of a diversiied and balanced generating portfolio,” said Irene Dimitry, DTE Energy vice president, Marketing & Renewables. “Our goal
is to deliver cleaner, reliable and affordable energy to
power Michigan’s future.”
The wind park will be operated and maintained by a
team of seven permanent employees hired by DTE.
As many as 170 workers were on site during peak construction activity.
DTE also owns and operates the 110-MW Thumb Wind Park, which reached commercial operation
in 2012, nearly half of the 213-MW Gratiot County Wind Project and the 75-MW Brookield Wind Park, which started operating earlier this year in Huron
County.
In addition, DTE Energy will purchase the energy
from the 20-MW Big Turtle Wind Farm, which will cover 2,800 acres in Rubicon Township in Huron County. The Big Turtle Wind Farm, expected to be
operational late this year, will comprise a minimum
of 50 percent Michigan content and feature new
technology advanced by Ventower Industries of
Monroe and other Michigan suppliers. The owner,
Big Turtle Wind Farm LLC, is a subsidiary of
Heritage Sustainable Energy, a Michigan wind energy
producer.
All of the projects expand the DTE’s renewable
energy resources to meet the state’s renewable energy
goals. DTE expects to add nearly 1,000 MW, or 10 percent of its customers’ electricity needs, by 2015. About 95 percent of its renewable portfolio will come
from wind energy.
With the commissioning of the Echo Wind Park,
DTE’s renewable energy portfolio is at 9.6 percent.
Current Developments
MMEA Currents Page 15
MMEA Welcomes Two
New Associate Members
Veracity Asset Management Group specializes
in surplus. Valuable surplus exists within all
organizations. Finding that surplus is the key to
unlock its true potential. Often due to resource
constraints, the management of surplus is ad hoc and
fractured leading to less than optimal recovery values.
Veracity’s team of specialists has the experience
and networks to assist companies and help them
understand this missing link of the supply chain.
Their services will provide immediate payback
opportunities. In fact, a well-run surplus management/
Investment Recovery (IR) process will return at least
$20 for every dollar spent.
Contact:
Graham Nelson, CEO
Veracity Asset Management Group
1520 Queen Street East, Suite BT 2012 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
P6A 2G4Phone: (705) 971-1988 Email: [email protected]
Inland Power Group is the authorized distributor in
Wisconsin, upper Michigan, NW Indiana and Illinois
for Detroit Diesel & Mercedes-Benz On-Highway
Engines; Detroit Diesel, MTU and Mercedes-
Benz Off-Highway Engines; MTU Onsite Energy
Generator Sets; and Allison Transmissions. They are
the distributor for Electromotive in Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,
South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. They
are also the Jenbacher distributor for Wisconsin,
Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Iowa.
At branches across the Midwest, Inland brings
together the best people, the best products, parts for
all makes, the most advanced tools and technology,
the most rigorous processes and the greatest depth
of know-how in the business. They have six fully
equipped parts and service locations – Butler and De
Pere, Wisconsin; Rockford and Carol Stream, Illinois;
Iron Mountain, Michigan; and Gary, Indiana. Each of
their state-of-the-art facilities has its own sales, parts
and service departments.
Inland also has a full compliment of truck and chassis
parts for over 50 associated product lines.
MMEA CurrentsPage 16
MISO Conirms Beneits of MVP Projects A new report released by MISO demonstrates that the
beneits of the Multi-Value Project (MVP) Portfolio not only remain intact, but are greater than previously
estimated.
The MVP Portfolio was irst approved by the MISO Board of Directors in 2011. The portfolio is comprised of 17 transmission projects designed to address regional reliability needs, deliver signiicant economic beneits and provide greater access to renewable energy resources across the MISO
footprint.
The latest review found that the MVP Portfolio:
• Allows in meeting state renewable energy
standards through 2028 across the MISO footprint• Creates $13 to $50 billion in net economic
beneits to customers over the next 20 to 40 years, a substantial increase from 2011 estimates
• Provides beneits in excess of its costs, with its beneit to cost ratio ranging from 2.6 to 3.9- signiicantly higher than the range of 1.8 to 3.0 previously calculated
• Reduces carbon emissions from electric
generating units by 9 to 15 million tons annually• Continues to support the creation of thousands
of local jobs and billions of dollars in local
investment
“This study conirms that the MVP Portfolio will deliver signiicant value across the MISO region,” said Jennifer Curran, vice president of system
planning and seams coordination. “As generation
supply tightens across the MISO footprint, these
MVPs will play a key role in ensuring access to
reliable, low- cost energy.”
The increases in beneit projections are primarily attributed to natural gas price assumptions and
declining capacity reserves.
MISO conducted this full review of the MVP
Portfolio beneits as part of a tariff requirement. The review has no impact on the existing MVP
Portfolio’s cost allocation.
“This review validates the work of MISO and
our stakeholders to develop a portfolio of projects
that are essential to meeting renewable energy
standards across the region,” continued Curran. “In the process, these MVP projects will improve the
reliability and market eficiency of the region.”
In 2011, the MVP Portfolio was a landmark development of transmission project plans across
the MISO footprint. Through extensive work with
MISO stakeholders, regulators and transmission
owners, MISO established the MVP Portfolio as a
way to improve reliability, lower the wholesale cost
of energy and connect renewable energy resources
to population centers across the MISO region.
Energy Department
Reports Highlight
Strength of U.S. Wind
Energy Industry
The U.S. continues to be a global leader in wind
energy, ranking second in installed capacity in the
world, according to two reports released today by
the Department of Energy. Wind power is a key
component of the nation’s all-of-the-above strategy
to reduce carbon pollution, diversify our energy
economy, and bring innovative technologies on
line. With increasing wind energy generation and
decreasing prices of wind energy technologies,
the U.S. wind energy market remains strong and
the U.S. is moving closer to doubling renewable
electricity generation from energy resources like
wind power yet again by 2020.
Energy Reports
MMEA Currents Page 17
Sebewaing Light and Water Department
110 West Main Street
P.O. Box 645
Sebewaing, MI. 48759
Journeyman Lineman
The Village of Sebewaing, Department of Light
and Water is accepting applications for Jour-
neyman Lineman. The Journeyman Lineman
is responsible for all phases of the operation
and maintenance of the overhead and un-
derground 40KV/4.8KV/2.4KV system. Posi-
tion requires certiication from an approved Journeyman Lineman program and minimum
5 years’ experience. Candidate must also
perform maintenance on the Light and Water
Department’s water and iber systems. Must possess a Michigan Driver’s license and CDL
license. A complete copy of the job descrip-
tion and application may be obtained from the
website at www.sebewainglightandwater.com.
Submit application to: Sebewaing Light and
Water, 110 W Main St, Sebewaing, MI 48759.
Employment
“As a readily expandable, domestic source of clean,
renewable energy, wind power is paving the way to
a low-carbon future that protects our air and water
while providing affordable, renewable electricity
to American families and businesses,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “However, the continued
success of the U.S. wind industry highlights the
importance of policies like the Production Tax Credit
that provide a solid framework for America to lead
the world in clean energy innovation while also
keeping wind manufacturing and jobs in the U.S.”
Wind Technologies Market Report
After modest growth in 2013, total installed wind power capacity in the United States now stands at 61 gigawatts (GW), which meets nearly 4.5 percent of
electricity demand in an average year, according to
the 2013 Wind Technologies Market Report, released today by the Energy Department and its Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory. The report also found
that wind energy prices – particularly in the Interior
region of the United States–are at an all-time low,
with utilities selecting wind as a cost-saving option.
With utility-scale turbines installed in more than 39
states and territories, the success of the U.S. wind
industry has had a ripple effect on the American
economy, spurring more than $500 million in exports and supporting jobs related to development, siting,
manufacturing, transportation and other industries.
Distributed Wind Market Report
In total, U.S. turbines in distributed applications,
which accounted for more than 80 percent of all wind turbines installed in the U.S. last year, reached a
cumulative installed capacity of more than 842 MW–enough to power 120,000 average American homes–according to the 2013 Distributed Wind Market Report, also released today by the Energy Department
and its Paciic Northwest National Laboratory. This capacity is supplied by roughly 72,000 turbines across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In fact, a total of 14 states, including Iowa, Nevada and California, among others, now each have more
than 10 MW of distributed wind capacity.
Compared to traditional, centralized power plants,
distributed wind energy installations supply
power directly to the local grid near homes, farms,
businesses and communities. Turbines used in these
applications can range in size from a few hundred
watts to multi-megawatts, and can help power remote,
off-grid homes and farms as well as local schools and
manufacturing facilities.
For more information on these two new reports –
including infographics, video and updated interactive
map – visit www.energy.gov/windreport.
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2014 MMEA Fall Conference Scrapbook
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Michigan Municipal
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Board of Directors
Bill Cook, President
Zeeland Board of Public Works
David Koster, Vice President
Holland Board of Public Works
Ray Anderson
City of Norway
Tim Arends
Traverse City Licht & Power
Carl Fedders
City of Marshall
Larry Halberstadt
South Haven Dept. Of Public Works
Melanie McCoy
Sebewaing Light & Water Dept.
Greg Pierce
Lowell Light & Power
Dennis Hicks
Currents Editor
Calendar of Events
Fast Facts
Oct. 26-29, 2014 APPA Customer Connections
Conference, Jacksonville, FL
May 20 – 21, 2015 Great Lakes Electric Utility Show,
Lansing, MI
March 9-11, 2015 APPA Legislative Rally,
Washington, D.C.
Source: American Wind Energy Association
Total installed wind capacity in the U.S. through irst quarter of 2014
