Consumers Energy Profile

Consumers Energy is Michigan’s second-largest electric and natural gas utility.

Smart Grid

In November 2008 Consumers signed an agreement with IBM to help plan, deploy and test an AMI and field pilot network. It is also working with SAP and announced plans to integrate SAP’s new AMI module with its existing SAP for Utilities software, which it installed in July 2008. Consumers’ AMI pilot project will roll out over the next year. By 2015, the utility anticipates converting 3.5 million electric and gas meters to smart technology. It plans to install close to 4,000 new meters daily starting in 2011.

Renewables

Michigan is requiring that renewable power comprise 10% of power generation by 2015. Currently renewable power (including hydroelectric, wind and biomass) account for 5% of CE’s power supply; it will increase it to 10% (an additional 900 MW) by building half the capacity and purchasing other half.

In late 2008, Consumers bought 36,000 acres of easements in Mason and Tuscola counties for future wind generation. In early 2009 the utility asked developers of small renewable energy projects to submit bids to supply 130,000 MW of renewable energy annually for up to 20 years and indicated plans to solicit for additional energy from larger renewable energy projects later in the year.

For vendors only …

Consumers has a reputation as a “sensible” utility and has been efficient with resources in creating its roadmap. However, as it moves from pilot to deployment with its advanced metering, its data integration problems will escalate quickly.