LANSING, Mich., March. 13, 2023 — State Rep. Jenn Hill (D-Marquette) introduced a bill last week to set a statewide requirement of achieving 2,500 megawatts of grid-based energy storage by 2030. This measure would codify the target identified in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan.
“Supplying our state with a robust energy reserve is going to make our supply of electricity more reliable, more efficient and more affordable,” Hill said. “This will be a major step toward energy security for the Upper Peninsula, and I’ll be working hard to get it signed into law.”
Hill’s bill would ensure that the grid would be equipped to discharge small amounts of storage reserves to respond to fluctuations in demand, allowing for energy generation facilities to continue running at their most efficient rate. These efficiency improvements will create savings that can then be passed on to customers across Michigan.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory predicts that costs will fall by more than 40% in the next eight years. Cleaner energy storage technologies are being rapidly developed, including promising new battery types and underground pumped hydroelectric storage systems. With an abundance of viable sites for underground pumped hydroelectric power in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the state is poised to become a leader in this emerging technology as the world moves toward more advanced energy production systems.