Detroit-based DTE Energy, the parent company of the electric utility Detroit Edison, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to purchase Michigan-based renewable energy for the company's proposed GreenCurrents renewable energy program.
The GreenCurrents program would give Detroit Edison's customers the option of choosing renewable energy for all or part of their electricity needs. Customers would be able to purchase 100 kWh of renewable energy for $2.50 a month or have 100% of their electricity provided by renewable resources for an additional cost of $0.02 per kWh. According to the company, a key element of the program is to encourage the development and operation of new renewable energy projects, including wind, solar, geothermal and biomass, in the state.
‘The RFP we issued requires that providers be located in Michigan and that their renewable energy facilities be newly constructed,’ says Trevor F. Lauer, DTE Energy's vice president of marketing. ‘We want the resources for the GreenCurrents program to be homegrown, and we're interested in signing long-term agreements with developers who share that vision.’
DTE Energy says it hopes to begin offering the program to customers this spring, pending approval by the Michigan Public Service Commission. Responses to the RFP are due to DTE Energy by March 16, 2007. A pre-bid conference that includes a question-and-answer session will be held at DTE Energy's Detroit headquarters on Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. For more information on the RFP, visit www.my.dteenergy.com/greencurrents
