Lawmakers resist wind turbines in the Great Lakes
Two northern Michigan representatives want to keep the picturesque shoreline of the Great Lakes free of spinning wind turbines. New legislation introduced by Republicans Greg MacMaster and Ray Franz...
View ArticleMichigan State University developing a new way of producing energy down on...
Michigan State University’s dairy farm is helping the university cut down on its electricity bill. It may also someday help small Michigan farms meet their energy needs. South of the East Lansing...
View ArticleGreen energy fees disappearing from some Michigan utility bills
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Four years after raising customers' bills to meet mandates to sell cleaner power, Michigan's biggest utilities are eliminating the fees or slashing them significantly. Residential...
View ArticleMore Michigan utility customers get credit for generating excess power
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - More wind and solar energy users in Michigan are getting billing credit for excess power they generate. State regulators issued a report last week showing utility customers with...
View ArticleMichigan officials deliver energy policy report
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - State officials have submitted the latest in a series of reports that Gov. Rick Snyder says will help Michigan make decisions about future energy policies. The "Additional Areas"...
View ArticleYpsilanti family finds happiness in living off the land
Meet the Gold family. They're modern day homesteaders. Their goal is to live as self-sufficiently as possible on their three-acre farm in Ypsilanti . (They often say they use yesterday's knowledge...
View ArticleDevelopers face obstacles to offshore wind farms in Great Lakes
As recently as a couple of months ago, construction of a wind farm in Lake Erie, off the Ohio shoreline near Cleveland, looked promising. But now some are sounding the death knell for any wind...
View ArticleMore Michiganders are using wind and solar to power state electric grid
A new report says the number of people generating their own electricity in Michigan and sharing it with others is growing. This week, the Michigan Public Service Commission released its annual " net...
View ArticleAutomotive innovations can help diversify Michigan economy
The Next Idea The early history of the Michigan economy is a study in diversity: fur trading, lumbering, furniture making, dairy and fruit farming, salt mining, and who can forget cereal making. But...
View ArticleRepublican energy bills cause stir among environmental, free market groups
One of the top Republicans in the state House has introduced bills that would make sweeping changes to Michigan’s energy policies. It comes ahead of Governor Rick Snyder’s address on the issue next week.
View ArticlePower (the electric sort) politics divides GOP in Lansing
Governor Rick Snyder will announce his new energy strategy for the state very soon and, anticipating that, Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature have rolled out their own plans to ensure...
View ArticleFor Michigan family living off the grid, it's "not about the sacrifice, it's...
Living off the grid can be a lot of work, but Joe and Shelly Trumpey and their two daughters have managed it for years. Their home is near Grass Lake in Jackson County. Finished in 2009, the home...
View ArticleLawmakers to argue energy overhaul, data center tax breaks in last week of 2015
This is the last week state lawmakers are scheduled to meet in 2015. Legislative leaders will try to advance bills that would give tax breaks to data centers. The goal is to attract a massive data farm...
View ArticleComplex energy package would address renewables, regulations and reliability
Last week, amid the frenzy that followed the presidential election, the Michigan Senate passed a pair of bills that would mean a dramatic overhaul of Michigan’s energy policy. The bills, which still...
View ArticleDevice generates energy from movement
A new device developed by researchers from Michigan State University may soon be available for development of wearable devices that harvest energy from walking, touching, or other human motions. The...
View ArticleSomething good came from Michigan's recount
Well, regardless of your politics, you can’t say nothing good came out of the aborted Michigan recount. Chris Thomas, the state’s longtime elections director, said last night that Detroit will get new...
View ArticleHow schools of fish inspired scientists to harness underwater power
The Next Idea Earth’s water is a natural medium for collecting energy, taking in about 97% of what we receive from the sun. After reflection and radiation, water stores over 2 million TWh (terawatt...
View ArticleHow building an outdoor ice rink led to a new way to produce cheap, clean power
The Next Idea So many innovative ideas begin with inventors observing simple events. Take Newton’s falling apple, for example, or Archimedes’ overflowing bathtub. For Emil U r eel of West Michigan, it...
View ArticleAlgae in the gas tank? U of M researchers study problems holding back algal...
For years, scientists have been developing ways to put algae in your gas tank. It works, but we're still a long way from buying algal biofuel at the pump. Researchers at the University of Michigan have...
View ArticleWind generation picking up in Michigan despite some local opposition
Wind energy became popular because it can reduce the need for polluting coal and gas generated electricity. But, things are shifting now. “The primary driver is economics,” said Stanley “Skip” Pruss...
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