Will wind power move from theory to reality?

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The Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association is a small non-profit outside Lansing. They promote the wind, solar and bio mass industries in Michigan. While the auto industry has shrunk, this group has gone from 1,000 to 2,500 members in just 8 months. Some 300 of those members are business people themselves, even from the big electric companies. Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus reports from the group’s annual meeting over the weekend.

Attorney Eric Schneidewind is making a big claim.

“Now you’re going to see a surge of implementation. People in their neighborhoods, in their businesses are actually going to see renewable power as part of their life.”

Just a year ago, state legislators were skeptical about wind, solar and biomass. They said such boondoggles would stick the average consumer with big electric bills. But Schneidewind has kept talking dollars and sense in Lansing’s halls of power.

“Now, instead of looking at idealism and long term goals we’re going to say to average Americans if you do this you will save money and you’ll help the environment. And that I think is going to take us to a whole new level.”

Utility companies are starting to sign contracts with small wind producers to sell them renewable energy. The Michigan renewable energy portfolio standard is forcing them into this. And Congress has put policies in place. For example, if you buy a $9,000 windmill for your house you’ll get about $3,000 back on your taxes.

“Well first of all there are great large tax credits available from the federal government. Second thing is building codes have been relaxed or revised to allow this to get done. Another thing is the utilities have programs, thanks to the law, which says that any excess output from a windmill on your own premises you can sell back the utility. That’s a new thing that didn’t exist before. That’s called a feed in tariff.”

On Saturday the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association honored Schneidewind for his work. They also attracted entrepreneurs. Dan McIntire works with 21 Century Fuels LLC. They’re trying to bring a car and truck tire recycling plant to the Detroit area.

“It takes scrap tires and puts them in a nitrogen enriched environment. It supplements them and breaks them down into their elements and recycles everything. Everything is captured. The end result is we get a synthetic oil, synthetic gas, a carbon black and we get steel. Even after the gas has been condensed into the oil there’s enough gas left over to run a turbine which runs the machine and puts electricity back into the grid.”

Amongst the hundreds of new members of the renewable energy association is past president John Richter. He’s a professor at Macomb Community College. He says soaring energy costs triggered the housing crisis.

“If you look at the statistics about how the housing crisis started it started very clearly in 4 states, California, Arizona, Nevada and Florida. Florida is a little different. But if you look at the 3 western states the housing crisis began in the furthest reaching suburbs from the main cities. They built new subdivisions out there. They put them on the market. Gasoline hit $4 a gallon and people said I can’t really afford that drive. The whole economic of I can get a cheaper house if I drive further, drive ‘til you qualify, suddenly reversed. People said I can get a cheaper house but I can’t pay for the house.”

Richter has been lecturing on energy policy since 1996. So what does he say Michiganders need to do?

“What we need to do is structure our lives so we’re using a whole lot less energy. That means living close to work. Driving a fuel efficient vehicle or finding mass transit. We don’t have that but need to build it in a big way. It means having a smaller better insulated house and better energy efficient appliances.”

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