State of Michigan Retreat on Facilitating Municipal LED
Street Light Conversions
Michigan Agency for Energy Offices, Lansing, MI
August 22, 2016
The objective of the retreat is to discuss policies for public entities to pursue lighting conversions, specifically large
scale adoption of municipal light-emitting diode (LED) street lighting. The retreat will discuss lessons learned from
large-scale conversion efforts that have already occurred in Michigan as well as other state and municipality experience
with LED streetlight conversions.
AGENDA
8:30 - 9:00
Meeting Attendees Arrive
9:00 – 10:00
Introductions and Meeting Goals
The state team will share their goals for the retreat, followed by an explanation of the NGA Center
role in supporting the retreat. All retreat participants will introduce themselves and a brief description
of their interest in this topic.
 Valerie Brader, Executive Director, Michigan Agency for Energy
 Andrew Kambour, Program Director, Energy & Environment, National Governors
Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center)
10:00-11:15
The Case for LED Conversions: Energy Savings, Technology Advances, and Experiences
from Michigan
This session will begin with an introduction to LED street light technology, including the energy
savings, operation, maintenance, and ancillary benefits the technology can offer municipalities and
utilities. Speakers will then provide attendees with a history and overview of LED streetlight policy
and installations in Michigan, to include utility and municipal ownership structures, state-level
policies, LED street lighting tariffs, and an update from the efforts to convert Detroit’s outdoor
lighting to LED technologies.
Moderator:
 Dan Lauf, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Center
Speakers:
 Rose Jordan, Program Manager, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
 Nicolette J. Carlone, Chief Executive Officer, Public Lighting Authority of Detroit
 Rick Bunch, Executive Director, Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office
15 Minute Break
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11:30-12:45
LED Streetlighting Tariffs, Rate Structures, and Financing Mechanisms
This session will allow attendees to explore options for the state, municipalities, and utilities to pursue
street lighting conversions equitably and cost effectively. Panelists will present options include LED
streetlighting tariffs revisions, municipal streetlighting buy-back programs, municipal bonding, and
other mechanisms to enable interested localities to pursue LED streetlight installations.
Moderator:
 Andrew Kambour, Program Director, NGA Center
Speakers:
 Nicholas Revere, Rates and Tariffs Manager, Regulated Energy Division, Michigan Public
Service Commission
 George Sfinarolakis, Program Development Chief, Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources
 Rachael Eubanks (previously with Robert W. Bard & Co. Inc.), Commissioner, Michigan
Public Service Commission
12:45-1:45
Lunch Presentation: Michigan Utility LED Municipal Streetlighting Initiatives
Speakers:
 Ray Zoia, Principal Supervisor - Marketing and Sales, DTE Energy
 Josnelly Aponte, Senior Rate Analyst, Consumers Energy
1:45 - 2:45
Aggregation, Bulk Purchasing, and Performance Contracting for Streetlights Conversions
One strategy to allow municipalities to procure streetlights at reduced cost is through bulk
procurement. Small utilities, through a neutral aggregating entity, can leverage economies of scale to
reduce the cost-per-unit of streetlight re-lamping. Energy performance contracts can also be used to
aggregate municipalities and ensure costs are recovered through energy savings.
Moderator:
 Dan Lauf, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Center
Speakers:
 Michael Fuller, President/Founder, Keystone Lighting Solutions, LLC
 Georgia Nesselrode, Director of Local Government Services, Mid-America Regional Council
15 Minute Break
3:00-4:00
Stakeholder Feedback
Participants from the state, municipalities, utilities, and other stakeholders will share their thoughts
on the most promising avenues for state action based on the day’s discussion. The NGA Center staff
will facilitate a discussion with the following questions:
 What ideas did you hear today that you found most promising?
 What barriers still remain that the state could address?
 What areas warrant further study or exploration by the state?
Moderator:
 Andrew Kambour, Program Director, NGA Center
4:00
Participants Adjourn
4:15-5:15
State Team Debrief
The state officials will remain to discuss the insights from the day and next steps.
5:15
Government Representatives Adjourn
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