The Michigan legislature has passed bills aimed at meeting 100% of energy demand with renewables by 2040, with a goal of increasing this requirement to 50% renewable by 2030 and 60% by 2035. The bills also allow utilities to use renewable energy credits for purchasing renewable energy elsewhere without investing in new renewable capacity until 2035, but this will only take into account power generated directly from renewable facilities. The legislation could benefit the state’s growing solar sector, which has 1.3GW of capacity installed as of the second quarter of this year. The Public Service Commission has been given the power to overrule local authorities on permitting new clean energy projects, a move criticised by some Republican senators who believe it could allow for more permitting of new renewable projects. However, there are concerns about the long-term impacts of this legislation due to the current definition of a “clean energy system” carbon capture and storage facilities that are 90% effective.
Solar Dominates US Energy Capacity Growth
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has published data showing that solar accounted for over 75% of US electrical generating
