BLP Renewable Energy
The sources of renewable energy to the BLP include participation in the Michigan Public Power Agency (MPPA) Landfill Gas Project, MPPA’s Beebe 1b and Pegasus wind purchases, and MPPA’s newly acquired solar projects that began coming online in late 2020.
These purchases utilize landfill gas, wind, and solar for electric power generation from a variety of locations in Michigan. In 2022 the BLP is expected to retire RECs equivalent to 21% of its retail sales volume. With the Board’s recent approval of the MPPA Energy Services Project's additional solar purchases, the BLP’s renewable resource commitments will continue to expand and the BLP anticipates that approximately 29% of its energy needs will come in the form of renewable purchases in 2024.
MPPA Energy Services Project (solar purchases)
- The BLP has authorized MPPA Solar commitments on its behalf of approximately 20.9 MW of solar by 2024 (estimated at about 41,000 MWh annually at that time)
MPPA Energy Services Project (wind purchases)
- Exelon Generation/Beebe Wind: 2.3 MW of capacity (approximately 6,400 MWh annually of energy)
- Next Era Pegasus Wind: 6.1 MW of capacity (approximately 17,100 MWh annually of energy)
- These wind projects are expected to generate approximately 8.0% of the BLP's energy needs in 2022.
MPPA Landfill Gas Project
- In 2008, the BLP joined the Michigan Public Power Agency’s (MPPA) Landfill Gas Project to purchase up to 3,200 kW of landfill gas generation capacity in response to PA 295. The BLP began receiving a portion of that generation in July 2010 and amounts of energy have steadily grown since (now at 3.2 MW of capacity and about 22,500 MWh annually of energy).
- This landfill gas project is expected to generate approximately 7.6% of the BLP's energy needs in 2022.
