BWL to Introduce New Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) This Fall

I recently met with Bob Nelson to discuss what he sees as important issues coming up at BWL that will be of particular concern to East Lansing customers. Nelson, who lives in East Lansing, is a member of the BWL Governance Board.

He talked to me about a new program being introduced this fall called the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). This plan will "determine where the Board of Water and Light gets its energy resources from for the next 20 years. Among the potential sources are solar, wind, other sustainable sources, and energy conservation."

The first step in enacting the plan will be the appointment of six people to a Citizens Advisory Board. Four of the six members will be persons with a deep knowledge of energy issues. The remaining two will be representatives of the community. Nelson expects at least two of the six members to be from East Lansing. Announcement of who is on the board could come as early as next week.

Once selected, the Citizens Advisory Board will hold open meetings to gather input from BWL customers as to the direction they'd like the utility to take. The Advisory Board will use the customers' input to make recommendations to the Governance Board. The process from Advisory Board recommendations to adoption into the plan via the Governance Board is expected to take two to three months.

When asked what will prevent these open meetings in East Lansing from becoming "complaint sessions" about the BWL's handling of the ice storm power outages in 2013 and the subsequent tree trimming maintenance, Nelson said he hopes that the meetings won't turn into complaint sessions, but acknowledges "that many customers have legitimate complaints and that they need to be heard."

The Board of Water and Light currently owns windmills in the Ithaca field. Anyone who has traveled north on 127 past Ithaca has seen the vast windmill field and has probably been mesmerized by their beauty. They expect to build more windmills in that field as part of the IRP.

The BWL is also working on "a solar project on the west side of Lansing." which will provide a renewable source of energy for all its customers. Individual customers can benefit from "community solar projects." Such projects will essentially be open spaces in a neighborhood with solar panels on it. Nelson noted that "East Lansing has a number of people interested in collaborating on a community solar project and those persons will receive credits on their bills commensurate with the amount of energy produced. The BWL looks forward to beginning such collaborative projects with its customers. The part of the plan that calls for increased energy efficiency involves a two-step process: first, educating customers on the best ways to converse water and energy; and second, recruiting businesses to shift their energy load to times of the day when demand is down. Nelson gave the example of "dry cleaners working at night to shift their energy load to non-peak times."

The Clean, Renewable and Efficient Energy Act (CREEA) of 2008 requires that 10 percent of Michigan’s electricity must come from renewable energy sources or a combination of energy efficiency and advanced clean technology credits by the end of 2015. It also set graduated price caps meant to protect consumers from the cost of compliance for utilities. The Board of Water and Light has led the other utility companies in the State with the amount of energy derived from renewable sources. In 2007, before the CREEA mandated that utilities have 10% renewable energy sources within eight years, the BWL electively mandated 7% renewable energy sources by 2015. They are at 10% currently.

ELi will keep you informed of selections to the Citizens Advisory Board and when the open meetings will take place.