Consumers Energy Invests in Solar and Infrastructure in West Michigan
Consumers Energy is Michigan’s largest electric and natural gas utility and a leader in renewable energy. Consumers Energy keeps the lights on for nearly 2 million customers in Michigan.
Along with supplying electricity to homes and businesses, Consumers Energy has about 4.6 million gas customers. The utility company “thinks local” and aims to provide hometown service.
To help carry out that mission, area managers live, work, and volunteer in communities across Michigan. Rich Houtteman serves as Community Affairs Manager for Muskegon, Ottawa, and Newaygo counties.
“I try to bring the key elements of our company to the communities we serve, and I, in turn, help the company engage in efforts that fit into our company pillars of People, Planet, and Prosperity,” Houtteman says.
Consumers’ History: Hydro to Coal-Fired Power
Consumers Energy was founded in 1886 and has served the Muskegon area for nearly a century. Most notably, the former B.C. Cobb Plant, owned by Consumers Power Co. (now Consumers Energy), was a coal-fired plant that produced electricity for 66 years in Muskegon.
Headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, Consumers Energy employs approximately 8,500 people and also uses contractors, Houtteman says. The investor-owned utility provides natural gas and electricity to 6.7 million of Michigan’s 10 million residents. It serves customers in all 68 of the state’s Lower Peninsula counties.
In its early history, Consumers Energy primarily used hydro generation to produce electricity. Most power generated before coal’s popularity was through hydro. Consumers owned or controlled 65 dams around the state but sold off nearly 50 and now operate 13.
As utility companies consolidated, that conglomerate formed Consumers Power in 1968. The company is largely similar today but changed names to Consumers Energy in 1997. Consumers Energy is the primary subsidiary of CMS Energy Corporation, a Michigan-based energy company that became a publicly owned company in 1987.
Connecting With Community
Consumers Energy stays connected to local communities in a variety of ways and focuses on three pillars: People, Planet, and Prosperity. The company invests in economic development, foundation giving, and community engagement.
“I am an embedded ambassador for the company and its operations along with other efforts such as corporate giving to go along with generation and distribution of energy,” Houtteman says.
Area managers serve as local representatives, community advocates, and facilitators to accomplish company goals while being good corporate citizens.
“I am a part of various cross-functional efforts, helping the public understand things we do like decommissioning the Cobb Plant or building an asset such as Muskegon Solar Energy Center,” Houtteman says. “We have strong engagement with non-profits, and I participate on various boards such as United Way and Greater Muskegon Economic Development.”
Houtteman began working for Consumers in 2015 and joined the GMED Board of Directors in 2016. “I appreciate the great work that GMED conducts and hope to assist in its work as a board chair this year,” he says.
Why Muskegon?
For Houtteman, it has always been Muskegon. Houtteman grew up in the White Lake area and worked for Muskegon Area First (GMED) from 2006-2009. He previously served as Dalton Township Supervisor from 1999-2002, then worked for the City of Coopersville from 2002-2006 and the City of Kentwood from 2009-2015.
“I worked with the Community Affairs Manager at Consumers Energy when I was in various roles,” Houtteman says. “Community Affairs Managers work closely with Municipal Managers, so I understood the position when I applied and imagined it would be challenging and rewarding.”
A native of Muskegon County, Houtteman says the community’s personality has kept him here. He enjoys the natural resources and the cultural aspects of the Muskegon area.
“I like its history and direction,” Houtteman says. “I have confidence in our community that we see all the people in our area and consider them and their prosperity.”
A “day in the life” can look different depending on if a storm knocks out power or a major infrastructure project is being considered.
“I may get a call from a City Manager where there is a block of streetlights out for a prolonged time, usually attributed to underground issues,” Houtteman says. “I will take that information and connect with our team to offer an update to the community and how we are moving forward.”
Consumers in Muskegon
The decommissioning of the Cobb Property was a years-long process that brought down the 650-foot tall smoke stack and power plant located on the eastern shore of Muskegon Lake near the mouth of the Muskegon River. The plant closed in 2016 and it was demolished in 2020.
Verplank Trucking has taken over the former Cobb Property, and Consumers Energy still manages former ash ponds on the west side of the causeway and the fly ash landfill on the east side, Houtteman says.
As Consumers shifts to clean energy initiatives, the company is investing in alternative energy projects that use solar, wind, and other non-carbon resources. The Muskegon Solar Energy Center is the first utility-scale project underway in Muskegon County.
Officials broke ground in June on the large-scale solar energy farm, which is being built on 1,900 acres of land at the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center. The facility will produce 250 megawatts of energy, enough to power about 40,000 homes or 2,000 big box stores, and is slated to be fully operational in 2026.
Investing in Infrastructure
With severe weather on the rise, the company continues to harden wires and infrastructure. Consumers also spends $1 billion each year on tree trimming and replacing parts with sturdier ones. The company uses technology to redirect power to circuits to sectionalize smaller portions of damaged areas.
“The most violent storms in our company’s history have mostly been in the last 10 years,” Houtteman says. “We are piloting underground lines and converting to iron poles from wood. It will take some time to accomplish this.”
Looking ahead, Muskegon will see more technology innovations that will empower customers to be more mindful of how they use energy and where it is sourced. Consumers is also trying to improve its predictive outage modeling, especially when more catastrophic storms hit.
Houtteman enjoys the variety and the innovation of his work, including projects with hydro, coal, natural gas, and solar. He appreciates the trusted relationships and genuine love for a greater purpose that he feels in West Michigan.
“I am fortunate to have so much going on in the communities I serve,” he says. “There are so many innovations happening, and with the needs of our communities changing, it keeps my work very fresh.”