Detroit City Council considers other utility options after storm, tornado
Last week's storm left thousands of Detroiters in the dark. Now, the city council wants to know whether Detroit has other utility options.
Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero asked the council's Legislative Policy Division to study what other Michigan communities are doing to create their own energy. Santiago-Romero says that could mean starting small, focusing first on neighborhoods most vulnerable to outages.
"I think it's important, especially right now when so many people have lost their power. Our energy rates keep going up, and when we lose our power, I just knowing that people are losing hundreds of dollars worth of groceries," Santiago-Romero said.
Energy expert Tony Reames says options could include solar and battery storage or microgrids that can keep parts of a community powered when the larger grid fails, which already exists in other major cities, like Chicago.
"There's a microgrid in a predominantly African American community called Bronzeville that is backed up by solar and battery storage. And so, if the power goes out on the main grid, that community can bounce back within seconds," said Reames, director of the Detroit Sustainability Clinic.
But Reames says Detroit doesn't necessarily have to choose between DTE and something new.
"We have our current grid that needs to be upgraded in the short term, but if we're making that investment, and when I say we, we as rate payers are actually paying for these investments, it should be the newest technology," said Reames.
In a statement, DTE said:
"DTE's invested more than $1 billion over the last five years to modernize Detroit's electric grid. That investment made a difference last week, when an EF2 tornado with 115 mph winds tore through Detroit's Islandview neighborhood.
"Tornados of that magnitude can cause damage so severe that it leaves communities without power for weeks. Instead, our crews worked around the clock and restored more than 90% of Detroit customers within 48 hours.
"The powerful storm and the restoration effort that followed are proof that when we invest, it works. Where we've rebuilt the system, it was more resilient. Where upgrades are still underway, equipment took heavier damage, and in some cases, was destroyed.
"There's more work ahead, but these investments are helping Detroit recover faster and building the resilient grid our customers deserve."
Santiago-Romero says she believes Detroit can become less dependent on DTE but acknowledges it won't be easy.
"I would like them to determine what our options are, what the best options are for us to start with now, and if there is a strategic plan for us to lessen our dependability, depending on DTE, or just whatever one source of energy that might be," said Santiago-Romero.
Santiago-Romero says she hopes to have the council's report within the next two to three weeks.
