Government Energy Policy, Business and Technology

Michigan utility embarks on ‘next generation infrastructure’ for clean energy

Midwest Energy News: As blighted and empty properties are being revamped on Grand Rapids, Michigan’s West Side, a major utility is partnering with the city and a local developer on an “energy district” equipped with solar panels and battery storage to accompany the growth.

The Circuit West project spanning roughly 10 blocks near downtown is Consumers Energy’s first solar-plus-storage effort in the state. It will comprise up to 1 megawatt of solar with about half as much battery storage capacity.

Though it will be connected to Consumers’ transmission lines and not act as an island, utility officials say the project is like a microgrid in concept. Instead of providing backup generation in the case of outages, the batteries are meant to smooth generation gaps when the sun is not shining and provide a consistent flow of solar-generated power.

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