Michigan ready to dole out $15M to manufacturers who diversify into alternative energy

Of the over $82 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds divvied out to Michigan's State Energy Program, $15 million has been earmarked to aid small manufacturers who diversify and expand into clean energy technologies such as wind, solar, biomass or geothermal.

The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DeLEG) plans to offer grants, loans or a combination of the two for projects costing between $2 million and $5 million. Each manufacturer must meet certain criteria, including having under 500 employees, producing a product that contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, advances existing manufacturing techniques and can be implemented immediately.

"Our objective is to help manufacturers diversify," says Robert Jackson, who will oversee the program for DeLEG. "We're hoping if we're making components of wind turbines, we can attract a manufacturer of the entire system to Michigan or vice versa."

Until the ARRA there was never enough funding to assist clean energy development, Jackson says. Now the goal is to help develop the companies that can act as magnets to attract other companies, and jobs, to the state.

Companies interested in applying for funding can access the request for proposals here and must apply by August 14, 2009.

Source: Robert Jackson, Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth


Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].