Kalamazoo Times

Electricity in Michigan should be available on demand, not just when the weather is cooperating, says Jason Hayes, director of environmental policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

After snowstorms left millions in Texas without electricity and water, Hayes sent a letter to state lawmakers, Sen. Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway Township) and Rep. Joe Bellino (R-Monroe), recommending steps to avoid a similar fate in Michigan.

“As Michigan’s utilities switch to a heavier reliance on fickle energy sources, lawmakers should adopt a new reliable energy standard that requires any new electricity generation source to be fully dispatchable,” Hayes said, according to the Mackinac Center's website. “Michigan residents should not have to depend on whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing in order to have reliable electricity.”

Jason Hayes | Mackinac Center for Public Policy

In 2019, a Polar Vortex strained Michigan’s energy supply.

“A major source of our natural gas supply failed, while wind and solar supplied minuscule amounts to the energy grid,” Hayes wrote. “The state was fortunate that there was a substantial supply of nuclear- and coal-based power to supply essential energy for heating. The biggest inconvenience was a recommendation to keep home thermostat levels at 65 degrees or lower.”

In 2018, coal, natural gas and nuclear provided 90% of Michigan’s electricity, but that could change with mandates to expand the use of renewable energy.

“Both of Michigan’s major utilities — Consumers Energy and DTE — have already announced their plans to replace existing utilities with less-reliable solar and wind,” Hayes wrote on the Mackinac Center's website.

Michigan is following the same path as Texas, according to Hayes.

“They routinely say they are building a diverse and trustworthy system,” he wrote. “ But their plans will remove coal and reduce nuclear generation, while almost solely focusing on building more wind, solar and natural gas. Yet as renewable advocates are now admitting, we can’t count on wind and solar when we may need them most. This means Michigan’s diverse electrical grid will rely disproportionately on gas during extreme weather. The fire at the Ray Compressor Station in 2019 demonstrates that this is not a solid plan.”