Wind power in Michigan

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File:Traverse City wind turbine 651515643 3a8ac41f26 o.jpg
The first commercial wind turbine in Michigan, installed in Traverse City in 1996

Wind power in Michigan is a developing industry. The industrial base from the automotive industry has led to a number of companies producing wind turbine parts in the state.The development of wind farms in the state, however, has lagged behind. As of December 2015, there were 887 wind turbines in the state with a nameplate capacity of 1531 MW.[1] Wind provided 2.4% of the state's electricity in 2013.[2]

Michigan's requirement for 10 percent renewable energy by 2015 has led to increased alternative development in the state since it was passed in 2008. A ballot initiative requiring 25% by 2025 failed in 2012.[3] In 2011, the Environmental Law & Policy Center identified over 100 businesses in Michigan involved in engineering and manufacturing wind turbine components, employing 4,000 people.[4]

Michigan Wind Generation Capacity by Year
Megawatts of Installed Generating Capacity[5]

The first commercial wind turbine installed in the state, a 0.6 MW model, was erected in Traverse City in 1996. It remained the only turbine for several years. Traverse City Light & Power has announced a project to generate 30% of its power from renewable sources by 2020.[6] In 2001 Mackinaw City installed 2 turbines rated at 0.6 MW each. Laker Elementary School in the Thumb region installed three 65KW turbines and a 10KW one, totaling 0.2 MW in 2005.[7] The first wind farm in the state was the Harvest Wind Farm in the Thumb, opened in December 2007, with 32 turbines producing a rated 53 MW.[8]

In 2010, wind power produced 0.3% of Michigan's electrical power.[9] Installed wind capacity more than doubled in 2011, to a total of 377 MW nameplate capacity.

The largest wind farm in Michigan, the 213 MW Gratiot County Wind Project, entered full operation in June 2012.[10]

Michigan Wind 1, a 46 turbine wind farm near Ubly, with 69 MW capacity

A number of new projects are proposed in Michigan. In the Thumb region, which has most of Michigan's high-quality onshore wind, 140 miles of new 345 kilovolt lines are being built to allow the region to support hundreds of proposed new turbines.[11]

Michigan has potential for offshore wind power in the Great Lakes but development has been delayed by political considerations. A proposed wind farm in Lake Michigan at Ludington was rejected in 2010.[12]

Wind farms

File:Wind turbines in Tuscola County Michigan (8473).jpg
Wind turbines in Tuscola County, Michigan in July 2015.
Name Size (MW) Location[13]
Beebe Wind Farm 81.6 Gratiot County[14]
Beebe 1B Wind Farm 50.4 Gratiot County
Big Turtle Wind Farm 20 Huron County[15]
Brookfield Wind Farm 75 Huron County[16]
Cross Winds 111 Tuscola County[17]
Echo Wind Park 120 Huron County[18]
Garden Wind Farm 28 Garden Township, Delta County[19]
DTE/Invenergy Gratiot County Wind Project 213 Gratiot County
Harvest Wind Farm I 53 Huron County
Harvest Wind Farm II 59 Huron County
Lake Winds Energy Park 100.8 Mason County[20][21]
Mackinaw City 1.8 Mackinaw City
McKinley 14 Huron County
Michigan Wind 1 69 Ubly
Michigan Wind 2 90 Minden City[22]
Minden 32 Sanilac
Pheasant Run Wind I 75 Huron County
Sigel 64 Huron County
Stoney Corners 60 McBain, Michigan[23]
Traverse City 0.6 Traverse City
Tuscola Bay 120 Tuscola, Bay, Saginaw counties
Tuscola II 100 Tuscola, Bay counties

Wind generation

Michigan Wind Generation by Year
Wind generation (million kW-hours)
Michigan Wind Generation in 2015
Michigan Wind Generation (GWh, Million kWh)
Year Total Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
2013 2,800 309 259 256 294 218 142 128 137 176 230 374 279
2014 3,875 421 355 381 387 292 222 211 157 231 355 457 407
2015 4,778 501 406 472 435 409 262 227 246 279 515 533 492

Source:[24][25][26][27]

Michigan used 104,632 GWh in 2011.[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Michigan Utility Scale wind Farms, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, December 2013
  2. ↑ State Wind Energy Statistics: Michigan, AWEA, April 10, 2014
  3. ↑ Ballot Initiative Would More Than Double Michigan’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, CleanTechnica, Silvio Marcacci, January 15, 2012
  4. ↑ The Solar and Wind Energy Supply Chain in Michigan, Environmental Law & Policy Center, 2011
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Traverse City’s Utility Goes Greener, Michigan Land Use Institute, Glen Puit, May 20, 2009
  7. ↑ A Michigan school district goes green, inspiring young minds., EJ Magazine, Gordon Shetler, Spring 2008
  8. ↑ Harvest Wind Farm Facts, Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, 2011
  9. ↑ Wind Energy Facts: Michigan, AWEA, January 2012
  10. ↑ Michigan's Largest Wind Farm Enters Commercial Operation, North American Windpower, 06 June 2012
  11. ↑ New Michigan transmission line to multiply wind capacity, Midwest Energy News, Jeff Kart, January 10, 2012
  12. ↑ Off-Shore Wind Deal Goes South, Interlochen Public Radio, June 9, 2010
  13. ↑ U.S. Wind Energy Projects - Michigan, AWEA, 2011
  14. ↑ Michigan Wind, Exelon Corporation
  15. ↑ Big Turtle, Heritage Wind
  16. ↑ DTE Energy buys Brookfield Township wind park, DTE, Jun 2, 2014
  17. ↑ Consumers Energy Opens 111 MW Michigan Wind Farm
  18. ↑ Turbines begin operation at DTE Energy's Echo Wind Park
  19. ↑ Garden Wind Farm, Heritage Sustainable Energy
  20. ↑ Lake Winds construction complete; Ludington-area wind farm praised for boosting Mason County, mlive.com, Dave Alexander, September 21, 2012
  21. ↑ Wind turbines in motion: Lake Winds Energy Park up and running in Mason County, mlive.com, November 26, 2012
  22. ↑ Exelon's Michigan Wind 2 Project Now Operational, PRNewswire-FirstCal, Jan. 5, 2012
  23. ↑ Stoney Corners Wind Farm, Barton Marlow
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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