The Michigan Public Service Commission Tuesday issued an order approving $12,499,757 in Michigan energy efficiency grants for all customer classes to 16 organizations for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

“The grants awarded today will help the state promote and advance the development and application of energy efficient technologies," said MPSC chairman Orjiakor Isiogu.

On April 10, the MPSC issued a request for proposals for Michigan energy efficiency grants for all customer classes with three distinct focuses: energy efficient technology programs; compact fluorescent lamp programs; and green community programs. Based on its review, the MPSC awarded the following grants:

Energy Efficient Technology Programs:
• A123Systems, Inc. – $990,004 to further develop high energy density batteries in Michigan for use in hybrid electric vehicles and for energy storage in wind turbines.
• Accio Energy, Inc. – $401,500 to develop a small scale wind system that is energized by separating charged particles from the air to produce electricity without the use of moving parts.
• Heat Transfer International, Inc. – $2,292,100 to create and operate a biomass gasification center to facilitate the construction of new biomass/waste (i.e., animal manure, forestry product residues and construction waste) to energy sites.
• Michigan Technological University – $1,455,565 for development of variable compression engines to be utilized in hybrid vehicles for reducing emissions while boosting performance, and for low emission research for flex fuel vehicles.
• Michigan State Unviersity Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering – $1,538,306 for the development and promotion
of small scale (< 500 head cattle farm) manure management, combined heat and power, and algae culture using anaerobic bio-digestion.
• Novi Energy LLC – $2,320,000 to secure loans for funding a large scale biodigestor to be fueled with Gerber Food Company's waste products, as opposed to manure, demonstrating greater efficiency and flexibility of the technology. The energy produced will be utilized in the factory.
• U.P. Steel – $1,542,193 to further develop and demonstrate a 50 percent less energy intense, much more environmentally friendly, and cost effective means of producing steel utilizing microwaves to melt iron ore.

CFL Programs:
• Macomb County Health Department – $314,063 to distribute CFLs and education pamphlets to Macomb County residents, and educate residents on the return and recycle of used CFLs.
• Traverse City Light & Power – $49,875 to implement a CFL coupon redemption program for its customers.
• The Climate Change Coalition of Battle Creek Community Foundation - $45,585 to implement a “Switch Your Bulbs” campaign by providing volunteers with literature and CFLs for distribution throughout the community.
• Urban Options, Inc. – $1,000,000 to expand its current CFL awareness campaign called Change a Light, Change Michigan, that offers consumers CFLs for as little as 99 cents through local retailers.
• Wyandotte Municipal Services – $356,500 to distribute 100,000 CFLs to Wyandotte households through an aggressive education/outreach effort and light bulb exchange program. And to sponsor a pilot program that will encourage the purchase of energy efficient lighting upgrades by Wyandotte’s commercial business owners.

Green Community Programs:
• City of Southgate Veterans Memorial Library – $50,000 to construct and operate a solar photovoltaic system to power the Southgate Veterans Memorial Library to promote the use of renewable energy in southeastern Michigan.
• Detroit Science Center - $50,000 to fund the energy efficiency programming component of its Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Demonstration Project which will include a model energy efficient demonstration townhouse built inside the science center; a working wind turbine on the science center grounds; and a 10kW solar photovoltaic array on the science center roof.
• Voices for Earth Justice – $49,446 to create and administer an Interfaith Youth Energy Squad that will train, mentor, and supervise high school students to conduct household energy audits and install simple energy conservation devices such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, low-flow showerheads, and programmable thermostats.
• Ypsilanti Food Cooperative – $44,620 to establish a 100 percent solar power bakery at its natural food grocery store through the installation of 30 solar photovoltaic panels.

The grants are part of the Low-Income and Energy Efficiency Fund, which provides energy bill assistance for low-income customers and promotes the efficient use of energy by all customer classes.

The MPSC is an agency within the Department of Labor & Economic Growth.