Tree trimming and storm damage produce large amounts of wood waste. Additionally, wind energy requires equipment repairs and replacement, creating decommissioned parts like wind turbine blades. NextCycle Michigan and DTE Energy are teaming up to advance practical, scalable solutions for the reuse, recycling, and upcycling of wood chips and wind turbine blades.
Businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and institutions can apply to participate in the NextCycle Michigan Accelerator. Selected teams will receive six months of coaching in business modeling, finance, marketing, environmental impacts, supply chain connections, and more.
The program kicks off with a two-day in-person academy in late January 2026, in Detroit. This is followed by several months of virtual engagement and culminates with an in-person showcase in June 2026, where teams pitch their initiatives to attract investors and partners, as well as compete for awards.
The DTE Energy Innovation Challenge is offering two $9,000 prizes to teams that develop new ways to recycle, upcycle, or reuse wood chips or wind turbine blades. The pitches will be judged on the opportunity to scale the solution across Michigan while maintaining a low environmental footprint.
A special application period is open now through November 30, 2025.