In February 2009, Governor Jennifer Granholm created the Michigan Great Lakes Wind Council. The intent was to identify the best places for windmills on the water and then pass laws to allow their installation. This could help the economy, help reduce pollution and reduce Michigan’s dependence on foreign oil. The council’s last meeting was Monday. Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus was there to hear about its progress.
The public has praised and scorned the Michigan Great Lakes Wind Council. In Lansing at this final meeting, council members listened to anyone who wanted to call in on a speaker phone. Dr. Connie Boris of The Wayne County Conservation District was worried about tornados hitting turbines.
“What happens if (we) encountered a tornado or straight line winds that would knock down all of the wind turbines. Would that cause electro shocking of people in boats, of fish and aquatic life, migratory waterfowl. What is and have you looked at the absolute worse case scenario?”
Boris said the BP oil spill proves how risky offshore equipment is. Skip Pruss is the Wind Council chair and a member of the Granholm Administration. Pruss told Dr. Boris that wind has no pollution. It’s not a fossil fuel.
“We can have a windspill. But we can’t have an oil spill.”
“If the wind turbine went down there would not be generation of electricity to put into the water.
Consumers Energy CEO John Russell told Dr. Boris that safety measures would be taken. But….
“If all those failed and the wind turbine did collapse the electricity would not be generated to go to the shore. And if it was generated for some reason it would disperse in the water and not effect or electrocute anybody. It’s not like a bathtub.”
But aesthetics are still a problem. A Norwegian company proposed a $4 billion dollar project near Pentwater and Ludington. Locals got riled. In February of this year, New York transplant Mike Griffin was walking along the frozen lakeshore.
“I support wind power but as for the specific placement I don’t know. But if it’s not in your backyard whose backyard should it be in? Well that’s not the point. If you’ve got wind power on land it also destroys the view which people seem to forget.”
In June, both Oceana and Mason County Commissions rejected the Norwegian companies proposal. They wanted to put 50-100 turbines 4 miles from shore. Local governments can disapprove. But the ultimate decision rests with the state. Lansing owns owns the bottom lands of the lakes into which turbines would go.
“We can demonstrate that this can be done in a way that doesn’t raise all of the NIMBY problems,” said Governor Jennifer Granholm.
She stopped by the offshore wind council meeting in Lansing. She sat in a chair in the audience and said in 2010 alone investors have agreed to $10 billion of renewable energy projects. Right now, Michigan is in a race against New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Ohio and Ontario. The state that becomes the home of the offshore wind industry might become the home of all renewables. The governor reminded the council she’s gone in 6 months.
“If there is going to be an opportunity, and I know in the legislation there will be, for leasing of the rights to be able to do offshore wind, and I know there’s discussion about the revenue aspect of where that goes, I would love for us to consider using that revenue or a portion of it in some way to help create further demand.”
Michigan has an advantage in factories, engineers, workers and water. The governor says if the average Michigander gets hooked on using renewable energy in his home, car and office then he’ll have a new job working for a company that’s come here to be at the center of the industry.
“If there’s a way to craft feed-in tariffs or something like that in a way that helps to create that demand I think we should be taking a look at that in light of what Ontario is doing.”
Feed-in tariffs allow any mom or pop with a windmill or solar panel to sell electricity to the power company. Germany has generous feed-in tariffs. And their solar industry is expected to eclipse the German auto industry next year.
“It would be a terrible travesty for Michigan I think if we get to next year and there’s a reverse course. Because going backwards, there’s nothing to go backward to. We have to move forward and really this is the way forward.”
Republican Senator Patty Birkholz also stopped by. She’s sponsoring the legislation. She says she’ll wait until after the November elections to get her chamber to pass it.