Interest in Consumers Energy's Residential Solar Program Booming; Selection Event to Set Go-forward Projects

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Jan 16, 2012, 06:00 ET

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Interest in Consumers Energy's residential customer solar program is booming.

Sixty seven applicants responded to the utility's December solicitation for proposals. Applicants submitted qualified projects with almost double the amount of electric capacity available in this phase of the utility's solar program.

An event to randomly select go-forward residential customer solar projects is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 23 at 6:00 PM at the Prince Convention Center at Calvin College, 1800 E. Beltline SE, Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell and State Rep. Roy Schmidt (D-Grand Rapids) are scheduled to speak at the event.

This 90-minute event is open to the public. Reservations for this event and information about the program are available at www.consumersenergy.com/EARP

Following a brief overview of the program and remarks by invited speakers, qualified proposals will be selected at random to identify residential projects to be awarded contracts for the purchase of solar energy generated over the next 15 years. Projects to be selected are located in communities across Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

Consumers Energy's program currently purchases renewable energy from 102 customer-owned solar generators as part of the utility's Renewable Energy Plan.

Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), provides natural gas and electricity to 6.8 million of Michigan's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at www.consumersenergy.com

SOURCE Consumers Energy