5 Lakes Energy
Helping nonprofit, business, and government leaders achieve clean-energy solutions and protect consumers—with deep expertise in policy development, utility regulation, energy modeling, and project planning.
OUR TEAM
The 5 Lakes Energy team has a proven track record and decades of experience advancing climate and clean energy solutions across the United States.
OUR WORK
5 Lakes Energy provides an array of services to our diverse roster of clients who are protecting consumers and leading the clean-energy transition in their states and communities.
Publications and reports
Guidance for Scaling Community Resilience Hubs in Michigan
JUNE 2025
Commissioned by the State of Michigan, this report offers guidance on developing community resilience hubs across the state. These hubs are trusted, community-serving spaces that strengthen local capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, while also providing essential services during everyday conditions. Building on existing efforts in Michigan and nationwide, this report outlines local resilience needs, offers recommendations for both blue-sky (everyday) and black-sky (disaster or power outage events) programming, outlines criteria for siting, and presents technical guidance on integrating resilient power systems, such as solar and battery storage. The report aims to equip communities, local governments, and organizations with the tools to create hubs that are responsive to community priorities and effective in the face of increasing climate-related risks.
The Potential for Hydrogen to Support Low-Carbon Industry in Minnesota
JUNE 2025
Commissioned by Minnesota’s Department of Commerce and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, this report explores how clean hydrogen could support Minnesota in the state’s transition to a low-carbon industrial sector. The study assesses the use potential for clean hydrogen to decarbonize existing high-temperature industrial heat needs as well as support the launching of new low-carbon ammonia, iron, sustainable aviation fuel, and methanol industries in Minnesota. The report also identifies the associated logistical, regulatory, and cost barriers, and offers community engagement strategies that state agencies and industrial partners can follow to help earn the social license needed for industrial hydrogen deployment.
Dearborn Works: An Integrated Steel Mill Transition Study
OCTOBER 2024
Is clean steel produced using green hydrogen right for Michigan, and the fenceline residents of the state’s sole remaining integrated steel mill? This report provides a thorough presentation of a potential transition plan to clean steel production at Cleveland-Cliffs-owned Dearborn Works, to educate key decision-makers on the steps needed to secure Michigan’s foothold in the emerging clean steel economy – while growing jobs and slashing health-harming pollution.
Expert Witness Testimony
DTE Electric Company – 2023 Rate Case (U-21297)
In his role as Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal Association for Utility Issues, 5 Lakes Energy Senior Consultant Rick Bunch testified against DTE’s proposed returns on its streetlighting services. He noted that DTE’s streetlight rates have increased by about 35% since 2016, despite the number of streetlights it serves increasing by less than 4% in that period. Bunch argued that DTE’s capital expenditures on streetlighting services are unreasonable; criticized the company for operations and maintenance failures that lead to poor outage performance; and challenged its practice of over-illuminating streets, which wastes energy and causes light pollution and negative public-health, environmental, and climate impacts.
DTE Electric Company – 2023 Rate Case (U-21297)
On behalf of the Michigan Environmental Council, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, 5 Lakes Energy Senior Consultant Rob Ozar urged the Michigan Public Service Commission to reject DTE Electric Company’s proposed rate recovery and return on its vegetation management and pole/pole-top-hardware inspection programs, arguing that those programs do not reflect industry standards and best available practices for outage prevention and fiscally prudent investment. For example, he maintained that an approach focusing more attention on circuits that are high-risk for outages would serve customers better than the utility’s uniform, systemwide 10-year cycle for tree inspections.
DTE Electric – 2021 Request for Approval a Voluntary Prepay Billing Program (U-21087)
On behalf of the Attorney General of Michigan and Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, 5 Lakes Energy Senior Consultant Rick Bunch testified against DTE’s proposed Prepay Billing Program. Bunch questioned the value of the purported benefits for DTE customers and noted they could be achieved without asking customers to waive their rights per the proposed Billing Practice Rules. He also argued that customers should (and would expect to) be charged a lower electricity rate in return for paying in advance. He further criticized the program’s design for failing to meet the needs and protect the interests of low-income customers.
Get in touch
5 Lakes Energy is looking for partners and clients who want to make a difference on climate and energy issues in their states or communities. Please drop us a line and let’s get to work.