[announce] Energy Tidbits - June 2010

Tue Jun 1 09:26:54 CDT 2010

ENERGY TIDBITS - June 2010

Two New Centers of Energy Excellence (COEE) for wind manufacturing have
been announced by Governor Granholm.   The Michigan Strategic Fund board
approved a COEE designation and $3.5 million in funding for Energetx
Composites, the Holland-based spin-off of S2 Yachts, which will
collaborate with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Dow Chemical to
manufacture wind turbine blades with advanced materials.

The project will receive $3.5 million in matching funds from DOE.  The
MSF also approved a COEE designation and $6 million in funding for
Astraeus Wind Energy, a cooperative venture between MAG Industrial
Automation Systems and Dowding Machining, also in collaboration with
ORNL and Dow Chemical. The center will be focused on the automated
manufacturing of wind turbine blade components using advanced materials.
The project will receive $7 million in matching funds from DOE.

www.MichiganAdvantage.org/COEE <http://www.MichiganAdvantage.org/COEE> .

Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association (GLREA) has announced that the
Rock Financial Showplace in Novi will be the site for the 5th annual
Michigan Energy Fair, taking place June 25th - 27th.  The Fair will
include 60 or more workshops and over 100 exhibits.  If you want to
learn about energy efficiency and renewable energy, come to the Fair.
www.glrea.org <http://www.glrea.org/>  

51st State of the State Survey
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103353126840&s=774&e=001Vk-rtBOB7lF6JMXZM
piucpJsNC27YLORNTL_399lZrAiGyxaFxbokhWNY5QBtJj_kBbYbHHpOH1bJzFPrOywgOkF4
bZLimVqHjvYygaxna5dvfQvoal0K3GabY_cKykMVLgTrHBtlk8=>  conducted by the
MSU Institute of Public Policy and Social Research
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103353126840&s=774&e=001Vk-rtBOB7lF7maeuZ
wmgtwAhGuItKePPLpTq4H2mYDULIVu6A8H1l8l-tRga54QqXhJrf7EQU-fzlmXn5jpYJwHAY
1rZ7PUcTPMrzMGI4I-mWst_rb09iw==>  shows that 95% of Michigan residents
believe the development of renewable energy is "very important" or
"somewhat important" to the state's collective economic recovery.  The
MSU Land Policy Institute is translating the results of the survey
conducted in early 2009 through a series of bulletins including "How
Important is the Development of Renewable Energy to Michigan's Economy
Recovery?
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103353126840&s=774&e=001Vk-rtBOB7lGqDeNw6
d1NjTIkuUNQt4j_AcPucN8GlT9zTR-rjeps-rgCoxJ5sEQNt02aKdt_8cWUNrIY1nutGBhpV
HBX6cGXW0mi4zPAAVKMf16is7KgwyKn0ezNoCsOdhJ05Kfc1BkluixZcZC6w_Zw6jS43oXYq
CbHYDpJI2I8saBCsRCTbQl76SqaYzyOE4xQ2e421dw=> " 

Merrill Tool & Machine is supplying components to Northern Power Systems
for a new utility scale 2.2 MW direct drive, permanent magnet wind
generator.  In January the company secured $22 million in federal
advanced energy manufacturing tax credits under ARRA which allowed the
company to purchase equipment to make the components.

Michigan USDA Rural Development Agency will have approximately $11.4
million in total funding available through the Renewable Energy for
America Program (REAP) for FY2010.  $1 million will be available for
grant requests greater than $20,000 and $830,000 will be available for
grants less than $20,000.  $9.6 million will be available for guaranteed
loans.  Grants provide 25% funding for energy efficiency and renewable
energy projects.  Applications are due June 30, 2010. Contact USDA Rural
Development Business Programs at (517) 324-5157.  Federal Register
notice is at

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-9580.pdf

Michigan State University students majoring in packaging, business,
anthropology, or a host of other disciplines will now be able to earn a
specialization in sustainability.  The program is the first in the
country that will use a "competency-based curriculum," which will demand
more from its students than just the taking and passing of classes. The
specialization will provide students with practical experience, e.g.
service/learning projects, undergraduate research, leadership of a
student organization, or producing an educational video. The
specialization will require 18 credit hours of study that will appear on
students' official transcripts and complement their majors.
www.reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/ProgramDetail.asp?Program=5333
<http://www.reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/ProgramDetail.asp?Program=5333>
.

Proposed LEED state tax incentives, Senate bills 1111-1114
<http://www.legislature.mi.gov/%28S%28isiolh45cmimuw45qhbohe3p%29%29/mil
eg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=2010-SB-1111> , would create two
financial incentives for building green. The first would be a property
tax abatement of up to 12 years for new or rehabilitated LEED buildings
- 20% for basic LEED certification, 30% for silver, 40% for gold and 50%
for platinum.  The second incentive is a tax-increment financing program
for LEED-certified buildings with eligible sustainability features on
eligible brownfield sites.

Dow Chemical Co. has partnered with Cobblestone Homes, a mid-Michigan
home builder, to create a home that it contends will eliminate utility
bills. The 3,400-sq.ft. "Vision Zero" home in Bay City will produce as
much energy as it consumes using Dow products, from Styrofoam to
insulate the basement to Powerhouse Solar Shingles to generate power.
The house will use 60-70% less energy than a conventional home.

Ventower Industries had qroundbreaking for a new wind tower
manufacturing facility at the Port of Monroe.  Manufacturing is expected
to begin in March 2011 with a capacity of 250 towers per year.
Shipments to customers are expected to be primarily by barge.

BuildUp Michigan Design Challenge has been won by the Lansing Community
College Mac-Zero team who beat out six other teams.  The winning design
is a 3,075 sq.ft. Victorian-style house, lathered in solar panels
according to team member Jeromy Clements.  The team is working with
competition organizers to get funding to build the "net-zero" home on
Mackinac Island in the fall.
http://www.wilx.com/local/headlines/93203849.html
<http://www.wilx.com/local/headlines/93203849.html> 

Metro Detroit's transformation to a smart grid got a big boost when DOE
gave DTE Energy an $84 million grant to improve Metro Detroit's electric
grid.  DTE will match the grant, bringing the SmartCurrent's budget to
$170 million.  It will take 6-8 years to make the switch to a smart
grid.  Part of the smart grid switch will include installing 600,000 new
smart meters in parts of Wayne, Oakland, Livingston, Lapeer, Ingham, and
Tuscola counties. These meters allow for easier access to energy usage
information through wireless communications. This and other technologies
are expected to improve electrical service reliability and give better
control of energy consumption and costs.

Wayne State University is adding a B.S. in Electric Transportation
Technology, a M.S. in Electric-Drive Vehicle Engineering and a graduate
certificate program in Electric-Drive Vehicle Engineering, a subset of
the master's degree. The program is funded by a $5 million grant from
DOE through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

University of Michigan will receive a $760,550 grant from Bureau of
Energy Systems, DELEG to establish the Michigan Industrial Energy Center
(MIEC).  The three year project for delivering energy savings to energy
intensive industries in Michigan is funded by a DOE grant. The MIEC will
offer an intensive energy education and certification program for
current and future industrial energy managers, assist industries by
conducting 25 Save Energy Now assessments, and help deploy
energy-efficient furnace technology at two industrial demonstration
sites. For more information contact Dr. Arvind Atreya at 734-647-4790 or
aatreya at umich.edu <mailto:aatreya at umich.edu> .

Department of Natural Resources and Energy (DNRE) oil and gas lease
auction held in May netted $178.3 million -- a one-day sale that nearly
matched the $190 million in total combined sales since the auctions
began in 1929.

Michigan State University's dairy barn at the Kellogg Biological Station
has been silver-level LEED-certified-the first agriculture facility to
earn the honor in the US. A few of the environmentally friendly features
include a recycled concrete driveway and temperature sensors to take
advantage of natural ventilation. The design includes installing showers
(to encourage employees to bike or walk to work) and offering preferred
parking to visitors with energy-efficient vehicles. 

Kalamazoo Valley Community College will be offering for the third time a
course where students design a 1-3 kW wind turbine, fabricate its
components, assemble the generator, and make certain it produces
electricity.  Planning is underway to locate and commission the two
turbines that were the products of the first classes.  The sites will be
in the vicinity of the 145-foot turbine in operation on the west end of
the KVCC campus.

www.kvcc.edu/schedule <http://www.kvcc.edu/schedule> .

University of Michigan <http://www.umich.edu/>  will receive $4.3
million from DOE to pursue new nuclear energy technologies. The
university's funding is split into $1,181,379, $996,581 and $406,712 for
separate research projects designed to develop next-generation nuclear
reactors, $931,603 to research better ways to store, recycle and dispose
of radioactive waste materials, and $798,943 for "blue sky" projects
focusing on futuristic nuclear energy technologies. 

Energy Tidbits is free and is prepared by John Sarver, Michigan Dept. of
Energy, Labor, & Economic Growth.  To subscribe, contact
sarverj at michigan.gov <mailto:sarverj at michigan.gov> .  Previous copies
can be found at www.michigan.gov/energyoffice
<http://www.michigan.gov/energyoffice>  under Publications.

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