Wisconsin Public Service is not aware of any alternative suppliers that are ready to serve customers at this time. We will continue to contact suppliers to discuss their interest in serving customers in Upper Michigan.
There are two key reasons why customers won't find many alternative energy supply options. One is due to the Upper Peninsula's limited market size. A new supplier would have to build a small generating plant to serve this area, and a small plant would have a hard time competing with larger plants that typically cost less to operate. Second, transmission lines that help deliver electricity to you are, at times, already overused. A new supplier may not have the ability to put additional electricity through the lines to serve more customers, and it would limit their ability to sell more energy outside the area (which could have justified building a larger plant).
All Alternative Energy Suppliers need to be licensed by the Michigan Public Service Commission and certified by Wisconsin Public Service. There are no Alternative Energy Suppliers certified with Wisconsin Public Service at this time.
When a customer does find an Alternative Energy Supplier to serve them, they will need to enter into a contract with that supplier. Guidelines for switching to an Alternative Energy Supplier include:
A list of Alternative Energy Suppliers registered with the state can be found on the Michigan Public Service Commission web site at www.michigan.gov/mpsc.