Change comes to Middleville, Michigan
Former Michigan Rep. Kathleen Law and renewable energy installer Mark Bauer come to Middleville on May 6 to explain the job creation potential of the new renewable energy payment or feed-in tariff (FIT) bill in Lansing. A similar bill in Germany helped to create over five hundred thousand new jobs.
Under a FIT system, anyone who had renewable electricity systems installed on their home or business would be able to contract with the electric utility who would buy all of the energy.
The house bill 4137 specifies the rate of payment per kilowatt-hour, and the minimum number of years for the contract.
For example, electricity generated from rooftop projects would be purchased by the utility at 65 cents per kilowatt-hour for a minimum contract of 20 years.
A typical two kilowatt rooftop solar electric system costs about $20,000 to have installed. Each year, it generates about 2,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity.
Under the FIT plan, the system owner would be paid $1,625 per year by the electric utility, for a total of $32,500 over the duration of the 20 year contract.
(Below, see video of Bianca Barth of the World Future Council explaining the feed-in tariff in Germany and the potential for Michigan.)
The job creation would come in three areas: installers, manufacturers, and spin-off.
With a sudden demand for renewable energy systems, thousands of people would need to be hired and trained as installers.
Renewable energy manufacturers, recognizing that Michigan has a FIT system, would preferentially choose Michigan as a site for manufacturing, creating a second wave of thousands of jobs.
Finally, all of these newly employed would spend their money for goods and services in Michigan, improving the economy, creating jobs, and improving the tax base for public services.
The event begins at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at the Thornapple Township Emergency Services Building at
128 High Street in Middleville
. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Seating is limited, and arriving early is recommended.
Please RSVP here:
Creating Jobs with Green Renewable Energy Payments
The free event is sponsored by
Local Future
, a nonprofit education organization located in Middleville.
Additional Information on Feed-in Tariff
Video on Potential for Solar PV Energy in Michigan
Michigan Governor Granholm Advocates for Feed-in Tariff
Wikipedia on Feed-in Tariff
World Future Council on Feed-in Tariff
Michigan House Bill 4137 of 2009
Fossil Fuel
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