Consumers Energy sets 40 percent on-site renewable energy goal for Jackson, Mich

For its Jackson Smart Energy District in Michigan, Consumers Energy has launched a new clean energy goal, aiming to produce 40 percent of the district’s energy from on-site renewable sources by 2040 — and potentially earlier.

In truth, the company hopes to achieve that goal 15-20 years ahead of schedule and is pushing hard to achieve that goal. In the four-square-block area around the company’s headquarters in Jackson, Mich., they will work with private and city interests to reduce carbon emissions and increase the use of solar panels and energy efficiency tech.

“We want to connect with the companies, technologies, business models and innovative solutions that will meet our community’s energy needs,” Patti Poppe, Consumers Energy’s president and CEO, said. “We are striving to provide clean energy and to put Jackson, Michigan on the map as a magnet for energy innovation and the top ideas in the world.”

As part of their effort, Consumers is releasing a Request for Information, meant to gather new energy solution ideas. Those ideas could include solar panels, battery storage, energy efficiency, energy management or electric vehicle charging stations.

The project builds on similar modernization pilots undertaken on the other side of the state, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Consumers recently established the state’s first dedicated rooftop solar array and battery storage system.