In November 2009, the Detroit Economic Growth Association received a grant of $200,000 over two years for support to facilitate an Alternative and Renewable Energy Economic Development Initiative for Detroit with DTE Energy.

DTE Energy and DEGA will serve as co-leaders for the project. DEGA will provide expertise in techniques for business attraction, development and financing, project management, industrial parts development and Brownfield redevelopment. DTE Energy will provide leadership and project direction in energy related initiatives.

In an effort to maintain the collaborative momentum spurred by its initial work in this area, DTE Energy, together with DEGA, aim to take the following steps:

• Identify and Define Target Opportunities: Wind, solar, biomass, advanced storage (batteries), and energy efficiency segments of the alternative energy business sector will initially be targeted. Potential investments may include commercializing regional R&D initiatives, attracting new product development centers, test centers, assembly plants, and assisting existing manufacturers’ transition to new customers and new businesses. For each opportunity, a project description, location criteria, key location drivers, sensitivity to development incentives, locations competing for project development and economic development implications will be outlined.
• Develop a Message/Case for Business: For each alternative energy business segment, strengths and weaknesses of the region’s business environment will be assessed. Then, a business case for each industry segment will be created based on real-location project needs – highlighting competitive advantages and outlining action plans to address disadvantages. It is anticipated that ideal sites will be packaged and promoted through this exercise.
• Deliver Message: DTE and DEGA staff will work together to summarize representatives cases for Web site use and marketing materials production, develop presentations for business opportunities, develop press materials for market distribution programs. DTE and DEGA will also work with Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth to incorporate messages into their business expansion and attraction programs.
• Facilitate Business Deals: Criteria will be developed to identify high-potential prospects for business development. A system will be developed to track those prospects as a collaborative, including efforts made to attract them and the results of those discussions. There will be a particular effort to identify projects early in their development in order to influence location decisions and promote the most desirable locations, with the most incentives to offer.

In addition to these four steps, DTE and DEGA staff intend to work closely with allied economic development groups in business attraction and retention efforts.

Key Metrics

• Knowledge on what assets can draw alternative energy companies to Detroit and southeast Michigan
• Knowledge of asset diversification for alternative energy companies in Detroit and southeast Michigan
• A preliminary strategy for alternative companies attraction in Detroit and southeast Michigan