Michigan Governor: Create Clean Energy Jobs to Compete for $20M in Stimulus Funds

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is making $20 million in federal stimulus funds available to Michigan manufacturers who want to diversify, retool, and create jobs in clean energy.

Granholm announced the Recovery Act funding Wednesday at the Michigan Wind Energy Conference in Detroit.

The governor said that Michigan companies can compete for $15 million in grants and $5 million in loans through the Clean Energy Advanced Manufacturing initiative funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth, which plans to formally ask for proposals on Friday, said that any small- or medium-size business can apply. Companies working on renewable energy systems and components have until May 7 to apply. Those working on energy efficiency manufacturing can have until May 21.

This is the second round of funding for the program. In December, five Michigan companies were awarded shares of $15 million in the first round of Recovery Act-funded clean energy grants. Those companies were:

  • Astraeus Wind Energy: $7 million for the Eaton Rapids, MI, company to manufacture advanced-composite wind turbine blades and hub-related components.
  • Energetx Composites: $3.5 million for the Holland, MI, company to manufacture advanced-composite wind turbine blades.
  • Loc Performance Products: $1.5 million for the Plymouth, MI, company to manufacture planetary gears and gearboxes for utility-scale wind turbines.
  • LUMA Resources: $500,000 for the Rochester Hills, MI, company to make products for the residential solar energy market.
  • Merrill Technologies Group: $3 million for the Saginaw, MI, company to manufacture advanced-composit wind turbine blades and components.

“The companies initially funded under this program have put their Recovery Act funds to good use, leveraging private sector dollars and aggressively moving into high-growth renewable energy industries,” Granholm said in a prepared statement.

Companies interested in applying can visit Michigan’s Bureau of Energy Systems’ website or call 517-241-6228.

Author: Howard Lovy

Howard Lovy is a veteran journalist who has focused primarily on technology, science and innovation during the past decade. In 2001, he helped launch Small Times Magazine, a nanotech publication based in Ann Arbor, MI, where he built the freelance team and worked closely with writers to set the tone and style for an emerging sector that had never before been covered from a business perspective. Lovy's work at Small Times, and on one of the first nanotechnology-themed blogs, helped him earn a reputation for making complex subjects understandable, interesting, and even entertaining for a broad audience. It also earned him the 2004 Prize in Communication from the Foresight Institute, a nanotech think tank. In his freelance work, Lovy covers nanotechnology in addition to technological innovation in Michigan with an emphasis on efforts to survive and retool in the state's post-automotive age. Lovy's work has appeared in many publications, including Wired News, Salon.com, the Wall Street Journal, The Detroit News, The Scientist, the Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report, Michigan Messenger, and the Ann Arbor Chronicle.