Consumers gets OK to retire coal, boost solar energy

Consumers Energy will end its coal-fired power generation within three years and speed up building thousands of megawatts in solar fields under a settlement with a stakeholder coalition negotiated under the utility’s long-term power supply plan.The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) approved the settlement agreement on Thursday, June 23. Under the deal, Consumers will close all three coal-fired units at the J.H. Campbell plant in Ottawa County in 2025, accelerate battery energy storage growth, and add nearly 8,000 megawatts of solar generation during the next 17 years.Ending the use of coal power in Michigan factors heavily in state climate goals to be carbon-neutral by 2050. Federal statistics show power generation is responsible for 25% of total greenhouse gas emissions nationwide, and more than 70% of industrial emissions in Michigan.Environmentalists celebrated news of…

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