Great Lakes Wire

A new program intended to facilitate projects that cultivate sustainable energy will provide three programs with up to $5 million, according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The funds will come from the Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund (EERF), which is part of the governor’s fiscal year 2022 budget that was approved by the Michigan Legislature, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

“State government will keep leading by example and investing in clean, renewable energy to protect Michigan’s clean air and water and save taxpayer dollars,” Whitmer said in the release. “The bipartisan Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund will help us upgrade state buildings to cut energy costs, and we will continue finding ways to put Michiganders first as we work together to protect our Great Lakes, create good-paying clean energy jobs, and shore up our energy independence.”

The release stated that the three projects include the State Warehouse Complex Solar Array, a solar array development that can ignite 400,000 kilowatt hours of electricity that will fully power the State Facilities Administration Building. The Lansing Board of Water and Light is a partner on the project.

The second program is the General Services Building LED & Advance Lighting Controls Upgrade. The state is partnering with the Graybar’s Smart Lighting Turn Key Program, which promotes LED lighting.

The third project will be the St. Louis Correctional Facility Green Prison Initiative Energy Performance Project, which will make the St. Louis Correctional Complex a more energy efficient institution. 

According to the governor’s office, Whitmer spearheaded the effort to include the proposal in the budget in order to enhance renewable projects at Michigan facilities. Projects receive funds after the development has been fulfilled. The goal is to create a long-term platform that will mitigate the state’s carbon footprint.

“There is a lot of potential for (the) state government to become more energy efficient,” said Acting Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget Director Michelle Lange. “The EERF gives us the ability to act on those opportunities without having to cut into the funding we use to provide critical state services to Michiganders every day.”