Zach Anderson, top operating officer for Cadillac-based Wolverine Power Coooperative quoted in this article tells us why we need to continue operating hydro. "....natural gas peaking power plants are running more like cyclical plants, carrying more of the everday baseload as nuclear and coal burning units (like Palisades Nuclear plant that supplied 800 KW for 800,000 homes and Consumers Campbell Coal plant being decommissioned earlier than projected in 2025) go offline elsewhere in the state. Anderson said the concern is the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable resources is hampered by a few factors....new technologies that can carry electricity baseloads when renewable sources such as wind and solar aren't generating. For us to integrate more and more renewables, you need something that's there backing it up to manage it. Natural gas peakers can do that and do that well today, but we need more of those OR SOME OTHER TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN BE FAST RAMPING AND RESPONSIVE TO MANAGE DAILY CHANGES IN WEATHER OR JUST THE NATURAL RHYTHM OF LIFE. I WOULD SAY TO CONSUMERS, THE SOLUTION TO THIS "OTHER TECHNOLOGY" THAT IS FAST RAMPING AND RESPONSIVE ARE THE 13 DAMS YOU OPERATE! Get with the Governor, reassess your plans to remove dams, retrofit and become a part of a solution to be that other technology and contribute to the Michigan Healthy Climate plan thats aiming to be 60% carbon neutral by 2030. "From a timing aspect it's going to take us the better part of a decade or two to really transition through all this" To Consumers and Govenor Whitmer; there is still time to make this happen!
I love his ideas and comments. I hope Consumers listen as well Patricia Miner commented a month ago yes, comments we can use to bolster our cause and make our case. Dams can be an asset and not a nuisance like the DNR claims so long as they aren't crumbling. the hydro conversation has evolved significantly these past few years. It's time for Michigan to get on board. Katherine Dwyer commented a month ago