Green Space: State gov takes a stance on renewable energy

Michigan is getting greener by the day: the state legislature has passed a mandate that government buildings must receive 10% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010. The standard would rise to 20% by 2025, though mandates could be avoided if it turns out the cost of renewable energy is more than 5% higher than traditional power.

This same requirement was not extended to residents and businesses because of a fear of potentially higher costs.

But renewable energy advocates like NextEnergy hope that will happen sooner rather than later. Governor Jennifer Granholm has already proposed that 10% of all the state's electricity be required to come from renewable sources by the end of 2015. This type of a requirement is known as a Renewable Portfolio Standard, or RPS, and more than 20 states have already enacted one.

"This mandate is a nod in right direction, a step in right direction," says Mark Beyer, a spokesperson for NextEnergy. "But no one is saying, 'We’ve done our job, the fight is over.' No one is relieving any pressure for a statewide RPS."

Beyer counts the legislature's vote as a win for his camp, calling the state's position prior to the mandate as "stationary and non-progressive." He says, "Now we have kinetic energy, forward movement, a progressive position -- it's harder to get started than it is to keep it going."

The proposed RPS is estimated to attract $6 billion in investment and create thousands of jobs. Granholm has made alternative energy a keystone in her efforts to transition and invigorate Michigan's economy.

Source: Mark Beyer, NextEnergy
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh