The Value of a One-Stop Shop

NorthStar Clean Energy sat down with Dick Peffley, general manager of the Lansing Board of Water & Light, for 5 questions about its clean energy goals and how NorthStar Clean Energy made constructing Delta Solar – a utility-scale solar farm in Delta Township, Michigan – easier.

NSCE: Tell us about the Lansing Board of Water & Light’s clean energy goals.

DP: We’ve got a very robust clean energy plan. It calls for 40 percent of the energy we generate to come from clean energy sources by 2030. We’ve also committed to close our two coal-fired plants by 2025, enabling us to reduce our carbon emissions 80 percent.

NSCE: What made utility-scale solar energy the best option?

DP: We’re working to meet aggressive clean energy and capacity sales goals. We’re also asking for more clean energy than the federal government requires, so keeping our customers’ costs low is critical. Utility-scale solar enables us to leverage economies of scale to meet those objectives.

NSCE: Describe the criteria you used to find partners to build Delta Solar.

DP: We developed and distributed a utility-scale solar request for proposal. We wanted the facility to be local and large. Key criteria included a facility offering 20 to 30 megawatts of generating capacity, best-value pricing and a direct interconnection to our power grid to help us avoid transmission costs.

NSCE: What made NorthStar Clean Energy different from the rest?

DP: NorthStar Clean Energy acquired Delta Solar from EDF Renewables and became the facility’s owner/operator after construction started. It was the start of a very good relationship. The project was completed on time, and Delta Solar has performed flawlessly. Interaction between my operations team and the NorthStar team is simple and robust. I’ve also enjoyed direct and proactive check-ins with NorthStar’s leaders about the facility’s operations and what’s next.

NSCE: What’s your advice for other large organizations and municipal utilities considering large-scale renewable energy?

DP: Beyond carefully reviewing contract terms to ensure projects are a fit with the organization and/or its load profile, it’s important to know what you want and work with an experienced partner like NorthStar Clean Energy that’s “been there, done that” in the utility-scale renewable energy space.

About NorthStar Clean Energy:

NorthStar Clean Energy helps companies with ambitious sustainability targets decarbonize through renewable energy solutions. Based in Michigan, NorthStar Clean Energy owns and operates over 1,500 megawatts of generating capacity nationwide —including solar installations in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, wind assets in Texas and Ohio, natural gas and co-generation facilities in Michigan, and biomass plants in Michigan and North Carolina— and has a development pipeline of 1 gigawatt of renewable energy. NorthStar Clean Energy plans to convert its only coal-fired power plant, the TES Filer City Station co-owned with Tondu Energy, to a 60 MW biomass-fueled plant capable of capturing 500,000 tons of Carbon Dioxide annually, one of the first bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (“BECCS”) projects under development in the United States. Founded in 1987, NorthStar Clean Energy is a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS).

Media Contact: 

Suzanne Vincent 
Marketing Director 
Suzanne.Vincent@nsce.com