LANSING – State Representative Lisa Brown (D-West Bloomfield) today voted for a plan to speed up the development of 21st century technology such as advanced batteries and solar panels to make Michigan a magnet for jobs in the emerging alternative energy industry. The legislation provides $30 million in grants to businesses as part of the Centers of Energy Excellence Program to help move technology from the research stage to commercial production.
"We must keep pushing Michigan to the forefront of the alternative energy industry to ensure that Michigan workers are building the advanced batteries and solar panel components that will power the 21st century," said Brown, who championed legislation recently signed into law creating incentives to redevelop the former Ford plant in Wixom into a cutting-edge energy park. "By investing in these emerging industries we can create the jobs we need to turn around Michigan's economy."
Under the plan, $30 million in grants from the 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund will be used to bring in matching federal grants. This funding will act as a catalyst for developing energy technology and attracting new businesses in the growing alternative energy sector.
Two companies, Adaptive Materials and A123 Systems, are slated to receive awards from the Centers of Energy Excellence Program in order to secure matching federal dollars. Ann Arbor-based Adaptive Materials is a leading manufacturer of fuel cells that convert readily available fuels such as propane into clean, long-lasting power sources. A123 Systems, which has invested in facilities in Ann Arbor, is a leading producer of lithium-ion advanced batteries for cleaner, more efficient vehicles. As part of this plan, businesses receiving the grants are required to work with an institution of higher education.
The plan that passed the House today comes on the heels of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's recent announcement of state tax credits to two leading companies in advanced battery and solar panel technologies. Thanks to legislation championed by Brown, those companies plan to anchor a cutting-edge energy park at the shuttered Ford plant in Wixom and create at least 3,250 jobs.