Charting Michigan’s Renewable Energy Future

The report argues that Michigan can affordably achieve a 32.5 percent renewable electricity standard by 2030, which would drive $9.5 billion in investment and reduce CO2 emissions by 65.4 million tons with minimal impact on retail electricity prices.

• Michigan's existing renewable electricity standard (RES), established by Public Act 295 in 2008, required electricity providers to supply 10 percent of the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2015. This policy has been successful, with utilities ahead of schedule and deploying technologies at lower costs than expected.
• The state's coal-fired generation is economically vulnerable due to an aging fleet—87 percent of capacity is over 30 years old—and the fact that Michigan must import 100 percent of its coal, costing $1.2 billion in 2012.
• Michigan possesses vast untapped renewable resources: onshore wind (using 100-meter turbines) could produce over five times the state's 2012 electricity demand, and offshore wind in the Great Lakes has the potential to provide more than 16 times the annual demand.
• A proposed 32.5 percent RES by 2030 would result in more than 11,000 MW of new renewable capacity, primarily driven by wind energy, and would generate over $9.5 billion in new capital investments between 2016 and 2030.
• Implementing a 32.5 percent RES by 2030 would have a minimal impact on consumers, with electricity sector costs increasing by only 0.3 percent between 2014 and 2030 compared to a baseline of no policy changes.
• The 32.5 percent RES scenario would reduce electricity-sector CO2 emissions by 65.4 million tons from 2014 to 2030, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 15 typical 600 MW coal plants.
• A more modest RES target of 17.5 percent by 2020 would significantly reduce economic and environmental benefits—cutting capital investments by 50 percent compared to the 2030 case—without providing any additional cost savings to consumers.
• Combining a strong RES with an increased energy efficiency resource standard (proposed at 2 percent annually by 2020) would further reduce fossil fuel dependence and provide substantial economic benefits, potentially exceeding $1.6 billion per year.

APA

Gomberg, S., Deyette, J., & Sattler, S. (2014). Charting Michigan’s Renewable Energy Future. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Charting-Michigan-s-Renewable-Energy-Future.pdf

Chicago

Gomberg, Sam, Jeff Deyette, and Sandra Sattler. Charting Michigan’s Renewable Energy Future. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Charting-Michigan-s-Renewable-Energy-Future.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gomberg |first1=Sam |last2=Deyette |first2=Jeff |last3=Sattler |first3=Sandra |title=Charting Michigan’s Renewable Energy Future |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=March 2014 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Charting-Michigan-s-Renewable-Energy-Future.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gomberg2014charting, author = {Gomberg, Sam and Deyette, Jeff and Sattler, Sandra}, title = {{Charting Michigan’s Renewable Energy Future}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2014}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Charting-Michigan-s-Renewable-Energy-Future.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }