REPORT:

  Saginaw Bay could generate loads of wind energy

Monday, October 06, 2008

Bay City Tim es

By Jeff Kart

jkart@bc-times.com | 894-9639

The Saginaw Bay has been called a lot of things, many of them negative, but it turns out it's an excellent spot for offshore wind turbines.

In Michigan 's portion of the Great Lakes alone, there's the potential to generate an eye-popping 321,936 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind, according to a new study by the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University .

Onshore or land-based wind, which has been the recent buzz in the Thumb area, has a mere 16,500 megawatts of potential by comparison, according to the report, compiled with 2008 data from AWS Truewind, a renewable energy consulting firm.

Bay County leaders are surfing for opportunities in light of the new information.

County Executive Thomas L. Hickner is organizing a work group of local and regional business leaders to promote the bay as a spot for offshore wind and economic development.

He plans to bring a NextEnergy executive to town in the next few weeks to talk about how businesses can become involved in producing products and components for wind turbines.

NextEnergy is a Detroit nonprofit that works to commercialize renewable energy projects in Michigan .

'There are 8,000 individual parts in one wind turbine,'' Hickner said.

He thinks local and regional manufacturers can get in on the action as investments in wind increase in Michigan . Just last month, the Legislature passed a renewable energy standard requiring utilities to get 10 percent of their electricity from wind and other renewable sources by 2015, about three times the current percentage.

A Michigan Sea Grant study from May on placing wind turbines in coastal counties also identifies the Bay County and Essexville area as one of five places to consider.

''This area is predominantly grain agriculture, the wind resource is excellent and as projects in neighboring areas get under way the area is generally amenable to wind development as an economic tool,'' the study says.

The Land Policy Institute study says that ''while Michigan is well endowed in onshore wind resources, ranked 14th nationwide, it is perhaps even better endowed in offshore wind.''

To put the more than 300,000 megawatts of potential into perspective, a new Consumers Energy coal-fired power plant planned for Bay County 's Hampton Township would generate about 800 megawatts. Still, it would take hundreds of windmills to offset a project like that.

MSU's offshore wind projections also don't account for potential areas of concern such as shipping lanes, sensitive aquatic habitat and historic sites. More study is being conducted on those issues, the authors note.

In the meantime, Hickner said he plans to involve the local Chamber of Commerce, State Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City , and State Rep. Jeff Mayes, D-Bay City , in a work group on offshore wind in Saginaw Bay .

Hickner said he hopes to have Bay County Environmental Affairs Director Laura Ogar focus on the issue, too.

The county plans to survey users of its golf course in Hampton Township as well about installing a wind measuring tower on the grounds, Hickner said.

Companies usually gather a year or two of wind data before deciding to put in windmills. He'd like to see a company install a measuring tower at the golf course and in the bay.

The work group idea was kicked off in August after Hickner and a handful of local officials met with Traverse City area wind developer Steve Smiley about offshore windmills.

''I think the most important thing is to get some sustained effort under way,'' Hickner said.

''The two things we want to try to accomplish is one, education on what the opportunities are, and two, putting together some very specific strategies that could create some business development.

''Fortunately, the most effective wind energy opportunities are offshore and most people think that that's going to take a couple of years to really get going, so it's not like we're behind dramatically.''

For more on the MSU study, see www.landpolicy.msu.edu.