JACKSON–Consumers Energy announced the availability of 30,000 Google Nest smart thermostats to financially vulnerable natural gas customers to help Michiganders facing high heating costs. The giveaway comes with a reminder that financial help is still available for heating bills – and good news in the form of falling natural gas costs. “Consumers Energy remains committed to helping
LANSING - Because electric vehicle drivers avoid both Federal and State gas taxes, they pay only 70- to 80-percent of the cost paid by Michigan’s drivers of internal combustion engine vehicles, says Patrick Anderson, CEO of Anderson Economic Group in this video interview. AEG expects EVs to represent from 15- to 25-percent of new vehicle
WASHINGTON DC - All of the nation’s coal-fired power plants but one are less cost-effective to operate than constructing new solar or wind facilities in the United States, according to a study published Monday by the firm Energy Innovation. Analysts compared operating costs at the 210 coal plants in the continental U.S. in 2021 to the
WASHINGTON DC - In less than a decade, the decarbonization efforts enshrined in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 will bring annual investments into domestic renewable energy deployment from $64 billion last year to nearly $114 billion in less than a decade, according to a new Wood Mackenzie report. This will be the case
DETROIT - Electric semi-trucks are ready to go. The technology is there, manufacturers have capacity to produce them, and demand is only going to increase. But there is no way to charge big fleets, said Daimler Truck North America president and CEO John O'Leary. Daimler, the leading US heavy-duty truck manufacturer, unveiled the Class 8 Freightliner eCascadia, its
BEIJING, China - Chinese scientists have developed a method to manufacture more advanced solar cells on a large scale and for a better price, according to the researchers who are looking to a future with more accessible and affordable solar energy. With global carbon emissions increasing year by year, the development of clean energy such as solar cells is attracting
ANN ARBOR - One of the knocks on Electric Vehicles is they aren't good for long road trips. Not true says Rachel Konrad, former Detroit Free Press auto writer, and now a California venture capitalist. Rachel and her family drove from the San Francisco Bay area to New Mexico in a Tesla Model Y, 1,200
VALENCIA, Spain - The new 2.8 MW solar panel installation at Ford’s Spain plant is now capable of generating 4,641 MWh per year, or roughly enough to power 1,400 homes. Starting this summer, Ford plans to expand the solar plant by an additional 3,768 MWh per year (enough for about 1,100 average homes). By 2024, the
DETROIT - Electricity rates will depend on time of day, and year, for DTE customers starting in March. The news came in mailers sent to customers this month to notify them of the upcoming change. The time-of-day rate will charge customers nearly 35 percent more during peak times in the summer, to meet high demand
LANSING - The Michigan Public Service Commission Jan. 17 posted the responses to its request for proposals (RFP) for Low-Carbon Energy Infrastructure Enhancement and Development Grants. Public Act 53 and Public Act 166 of 2022, approved by the Michigan Legislature and signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, provide for a combined $50 million in grants for
