For Friday, March 6, 2026

1 – New agreements between Michigan utilities and advocates will lower energy bills and invest in home improvements. 

As noted in a news release from two environmental groups, Natural Resources Defense Council and Earth Justice, the Michigan Public Service Commission recently approved two major agreements with Consumers Energy and DTE Energy.

The measures expand energy efficiency initiatives such as insulation and air sealing improvements, offer rebates for highly efficient heating and cooling systems, and help businesses with plans to lower their energy usage.

The new four-year plans for 2026-2029 include what Commission Chair Dan Scripps called a “tremendous amount of really positive details” that will help people struggling with high energy costs. 

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2 – A Battery Circularity Program aims to improve how batteries are collected, recycled and reprocessed across the state.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy defines “battery circularity” as sustainable, closed-loop approach for batteries – including electric vehicle (EV) batteries – that maximizes their lifecycle through reuse, repurposing and recycling to reduce reliance on raw material mining.

The Battery Circularity Program will:

• Develop a statewide roadmap for end-of-life battery management
• Identify policy and infrastructure opportunities
• Support education and outreach
• Advance public-private partnerships
• Explore funding strategies to strengthen collection and processing systems.

Officials say updates will be posted as the initiative progresses.

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3 – This segment included news last week on solar and battery storage projects in Michigan, to deliver clean energy to communities. 

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis says in a recent bulletin that “blistering pace of the buildout of solar and battery storage” appears set to continue for at least the next two years in the United States.

The Institute points to the latest short-term outlook from the federal Energy Information Administration. That outlook projects that U.S. electricity generation will increase by 170 million megawatt-hours (MWh) through the end of 2027, or 4%. Renewables, largely solar, are expected to account for all of that increase. 

Overall, the government expects generation from utility-scale wind, solar and hydropower to rise by 201 million MWh through 2027, pushing their market share up to 27%.

– Mr. Great Lakes (Science Podcast of the Year) is heard at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM WUCX in University Center, Michigan, near Bay City (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes