Patti Poppe, the head of a Michigan utility that serves 6.7 million people, wanted to get greener, faster. It has retired seven of its coal-fired power plants and, by 2040, plans to retire the remaining five. Instead, Consumers will generate more electricity from solar and wind farms, large-scale battery storage and other technologies. It’s a big shift for a 134-year-old utility that finished rolling out smart meters only two years ago and, until then, performed meter checks in person. “Technology has evolved to the point where we can optimize energy usage for the first time.”

Source: Wall Street Journal February 08, 2020 13:52 UTC