Pursuant to the “Clean, Renewable and Efficient Energy Act,” of 2008, also known as Public Act 295 (PA 295), amended by Public Act 342 (PA 342) in 2016, the Zeeland Board of Public Works (ZBPW) is providing this annual summary of our Energy Waste Reduction (EWR) and Renewable Energy (RE) Plans for calendar year 2020. Michigan utilities are required to assist customers in improving electric efficiency through Energy Waste Reduction programs, increase the amount of renewable energy in the utility’s generation portfolio and provide an annual summary to customers showing the results of these efforts.
In 2020, the ZBPW saved over 985 megawatt hours of electricity through the Zeeland BPW’s Energy Smart Program™. A total expenditure of $273,192 for the 2020 calendar was utilized to attain these savings. The Zeeland BPW anticipates a similar expenditure of funds for the 2021 calendar year.
The program offered many opportunities for customers to save energy and money. Those opportunities included:
This year, the Zeeland BPW contributed to the installation of LED street lights and LED lights in the downtown parking lots as an energy efficiency initiative.
To learn more, see the Energy Smart section of the Zeeland BPW’s website at www.zeelandbpw.com or www.mienergysmart.com.
Public Act 342 also required Michigan utilities to acquire 12.5% renewable energy by 2020. For the 2020 reporting period, the Zeeland BPW acquired 44,131 megawatt hours of renewable energy, which equates to 11.27% of the utility’s total system needs. The Zeeland BPW has purchased Renewable Energy Credits (RECS) in previous years for use in the 2020 compliance year to meet the annual renewable energy requirement.
The Zeeland BPW currently acquires its renewable energy from the following sources: