Reflecting the recent increase is Consumers Energy's 100 megawatt Lake Winds Energy Park in Mason County, which opened in late 2012. Scandia Wind LLC, a new company, is proposing a 4 billion dollar project that will include hundreds of turbines located offshore near Michigan's Oceana, and Mason Counties. The Planning Commission along with the Southcentral Michigan Planning Council have worked on the plan. The anti-turbine citizens group, Friends of the Huron Mountains, says they needed only about 115 signatures to get . A total of 239 signatures were needed to initiate a recall against Supervisor Terry Anderson, Clerk Ronda Snyder and Trustee Tom Jeppesen, and 355 signatures were filed against Anderson, 356 were filed against Snyder and 358 were filed against Jeppesen, according to the Montcalm County Clerk's Office. Dive Brief: A boom in wind energy is sparking controversy in Huron County, at the tip of Michigan's thumb. The sales pitch goes as follows, "wind turbines power millions of homes with wonderful 'free' energy". Published: Jun. A University of Michigan researcher says people have more negative views of wind turbines if communities fail to be open and transparent when considering News Monitor Township passes moratorium on wind farms Lauren Talley , Another Michigan community is pushing back against wind turbines. The 2003 study projected 1) a small decline in tourism resulting in a loss of 1,173 to 2,533 jobs . Plaintiff applied for a 1 Plaintiff also asserted a claim for violation of its right to substantive due . Pegasus is constructing a commercial wind energy system in Tuscola County. The first industrial wind turbines in the United States started spinning in the early 1980s in California. A legal battle over a proposed wind farm of 63 turbines is brewing in a small community in the Thumb area of Michigan. After the Biden administration announced a $6 billion rescue fund for nuclear plants on the verge of closure, Michigan lawmakers and regulators have thrown themselves into a last-ditch effort to save the plant. 6. 7 Huron County has the largest installed wind energy base in the Great Lakes region, with 472 active wind turbines. MASON, Mich. (WILX) - Climate experts have called for more renewable energy, with electric vehicles and wind energy rising in popularity. In this paper I examine the controversy surrounding the construction of a wind turbine park near Ludington, in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Michigan from the perspectives of Beck's 'risk society' thesis and the associated concept of 'reflexive modernization'. In interviews with GateHouse Media, wind company officials and representatives of American Wind Energy Association cited numerous studies supporting that stance - most recently a 2014 Health Canada study that found no direct link between turbine noise and reported illnesses. This controversy has an extensive procedural and factual history involving local regulatory authorities' decisions on a wind energy system being built by Pegasus. benefits and challenges of developing utility-scale wind energy in coastal West Michigan. Get the latest business insights from Dun & Bradstreet. An unlikely legal win by neighbors of a Michigan wind farm would have the potential to chill wind energy development in the state, legal experts say. Proponents might say: 1. Nov. 7, 2017. So far, all of. This type of machinery was often installed to provide power for scientific camps, communication relays or meteorological stations in Antarctica and other desolated areas. After nine years of commercial wind energy development, Michigan State University researchers say they now have a better sense of what drives support and opposition for projects across the . Find company research, competitor information, contact details & financial data for Michigan Wind Power of Traverse City, MI. Alternatively, researchers have recommended sound levels typically . some experience was acquired in small wind energy conversion systems. Wind turbines spoil the scenery. Bald and golden eagles are protected from harm and death under federal law. Although many energy projects have been evaluated in such terms . Michigan had just 377 megawatts a little more than two years ago but now ranks 16th in the nation in wind power capacity and more is coming. Now Consumers is building the 105-megawatt Cross Winds Energy Park . Heritage is pursuing a second phase of the project that calls for more than 35 turbines, generating further controversy among landowners. The Laginas have partnered with the landowner, Tom Nolan, the son of the late . On one hand, there can be considerable wind with harvestable kinetic energy at roof level. Russell M. Tencer/CEO, Wind Products LLC/New York, NY Controversy seems to follow the installation of wind turbines on building rooftops, and for good reason. Each 1.6 megawatt wind turbine can generate enough power for 350 homes. Wind turbines generate clean energy and controversy and they populate several farms across Mid-Michigan. Exelon is planning on constructing 68 wind turbines across Bridgehampton, Marion and Washington townships. Trailing Michigan 9-7 in the home half of the eighth, Dalton Rushing kept U of L alive by drawing a two-out walk.. . 41 votes, 58 comments. Wind power . The Cardinals' game-winning rally didn't come without some controversy, however. 7 The developers hoped the electricity-generating project, dubbed the Kenowa Ridge Wind Farm Project, could be built by 2020. > State: Oklahoma. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources sued Almer Township . A wind farm company has admitted to killing at least 150 bald or golden eagles since 2012. In a recent public meeting, a number of residents expressed reservations and outright hostility to the project. And this is what it sounds like when you stand directly beneath a wind turbine that stretches more than 450 feet into the sky with the wind . BBC Spotlight reveals that 800 single machines have sprung up in the past 15 years. "There's zero protections as far as setbacks," Hendrick told the Daily News. Wind power can supplement other sources. Placing the 500-ft.-tall machines along ridges a few miles inland from the Lake Michigan shoreline . Comments Off on Long distance hikers and wind turbine controversy in Ontario; freighter watching in Michigan The 180-mile-trip from Tobermory south to the U. S.-Canadian border at Port Huron hugs the east shoreline of big Lake Huron and passes through quaint small towns and acres and acres of lush farmland. Between 2010 and 2012, Reading Township was the site of a proposed wind farm, creating controversy within the area between supporters [citation needed] and opponents of the Duke Energy project. Post news and interesting links about Michigan's Thumb (Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola) currently has 836 operating turbines producing 1584 MW of electricity. [ rest of article available at source] easy solution to the controversy surrounding the Lake Michigan wind farm. Michigan's first wind turbines were less than 300' tall. It was updated thanks in part to the controversy of proposed wind turbines in the . AEP wants to build 31 wind turbines across portions of Casnovia Township in Muskegon County and Tyrone Township in Kent County. Shortly after 3 p.m. Feb. 19, a wind turbine in Sigel Township also malfunctioned. Now Consumers is building the 105-megawatt Cross Winds Energy Park . Suncor Energy partnered with NextEra Energy Canada in early 2015 to create the Cedar Point Wind Power Project, a 20-year term power project contract with the Ontario government to install wind turbines in Lambton County, Ontario, located on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, according to Suncor's website. In In Hillsdale County's Wheatland Township, a wind turbine development that looks like a done deal is facing backlash from residents who worry the project will destroy property values, add to noise. Meanwhile, some Michigan lawmakers now see additional nuclear plants as a potential piece of the state's energy future. LOOKS LIKE WIND turbines will be on the ballot in L'Anse Township next spring. the siting of large facilities in New York state has generated some controversy, along with myriad, diverse municipal efforts to zone or ban wind farms. 2. The addition of multiple wind turbines in the same geographical location is referred to as a wind farm. Casnovia Township, a farming community located in West Michigan, had a wind ordinance in place ten years before they received an application for a wind farm. More information about the project, including a wind energy glossary can be found at the . (Huron County is about 130 miles due north of Detroit.) Michigan Offshore Wind Permitting Dry Run Report page # 4 Michigan Great Lakes Offshore Wind Permitting Dry Run Introduction A Growing Interest in Wind Energy Development On average, each megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated in the U.S. results in the oxide.1 In Michigan, statewide greenhouse gas emissions increased from 57.4 million metric By 2009, when I was still a planning commissioner, 390' turbines were the new standard. which have been the focus of such controversy since the first one . Kiernan, CEO of the American . His key campaign pledge to rebuild the coal industry in the US, despite weaknesses when compared with other sources of energy such as wind and solar, was a vote winner but one that has seen little real change to the communities that were previously sustained by the coal industry. Comments. The anti-turbine citizens group, Friends of the Huron Mountains, says they needed only about 115 signatures to get . Now if we were savvy PR people who got called out for Photoshopping wind farms into a promotional video aimed at out-of-towners, we'd probably say we were "visioning" or some made-up word that . Condit-Pottol said Vestas has manufactured other wind turbines in Michigan and the U.S. . Michigan is "a wonderful case study" of many of the challenges and opportunities facing wind-generated electricity throughout the U.S., according to Tom Kiernan. Voters in the other 16 townships went to the polls as a group and rejected two projects, including a 60-turbine project proposed by NextEra. The addition of multiple wind turbines in the same geographical location is referred to as a wind farm. By Megan McDonnell. DTE Energy says the wind farms will help the company increase . Wind turbines went from a 100 percent assessment in year one, with a scheduled . To prevent AHEs, scientists have recommended that distances separating turbines and residences be 0.5-2.5 miles, and 1.25 miles (2 km) or more has been commonly recommended. Wind power is intermittent. Michigan's entry into wind energy production started in 1996 with a single commercial wind turbine installed in Traverse City. 6. More recently, wind turbines have been installed in areas where cold weather conditions exist. The state of Michigan's renewable energy mandate requires energy providers to supply 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2022. This controversy has an extensive procedural and factual history involving local regulatory authorities' decisions on a wind energy system being built by Pegasus. Michigan had just 377 megawatts a little more than two years ago but now ranks 16th in the nation in wind power capacity and more is coming. The breaks happened in the midst of controversy over the growing wind energy business in the Thumb. The wind industry denies turbines cause health problems. Listen 13:17 In April 2010, the county passed a wind energy ordinance, which it later amended. The problem itself, in fact, is far too complex to evaluate completely in the scope of this paper. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle argue its closure threatens Michigan's climate goals and the region's energy security. Blue Canyon Wind Farm. Continue Reading 4. 7. These are at best slightly exaggerated and at worst outright lies according to fact-checker Politifact. There is controversy surrounding the wolves of Michigan. Some of the planned wind turbines are within the Tuscola Area Airport zoning area. Wind cannot totally replace other sources. DTE Energy regional manager Ron Chriss said a blade on the wind turbine bent and wrapped around the head, or. Wind power is never going to rise in cost. A local subreddit for the State of Wisconsin. 183k members in the wisconsin community. Apex Clean Energy . Plaintiff began leasing land from several landowners in the county. When Duke Energy proposed erecting 112 wind turbines among the rolling hills, farmland, and orchards of northwest Lower Michigan's scenic Benzie and Manistee Counties, some local opponents of the project warned that the very sight of the massive machines would turn off visitors to the region.. The Wind turbine is the modern day windmill which is marketed as a clean energy solution to replace power from fossil fuel, coal, and nuclear power plants. Several individual landowners, as well as a group . 5. Such . It was . The controversial wind farm project sparked division within the township over a litany of complaints by residents. Accessing this clean, renewable source of power can be a good way for building owners to Portage, Michigan 49002 269-342-4800 . In 2011, the State Tax Commission changed the tables by expediting the depreciation schedule for turbines. Some of the planned wind turbines are within the Tuscola Area Airport zoning area. Five years ago, Scandia Wind created quite a stir by proposing a large wind-energy project, generating much discussion and debate in West Michigan, especially in Mason, Oceana, Muskegon and Ottawa. either the evidence is too limited or there is contrary evidence or controversy The impact on bird populations will vary over time and space and at different . Massachusetts relative to the Cape Wind Associates proposed 130 wind turbine generator (WTG) offshore wind farm. Wind turbines are noisy. Kiernan, CEO of the American . Lake St. Clair is the latest target for 160 wind turbines, according to State Rep. Timothy Bledsoe, D-Grosse Pointe Farms. The article "Energy: War of the Winds" debates one of this century's most highly controversial topics - clean energy, particularly in the form of wind turbines. Wind turbine blades are dangerous. It's the largest wind farm in Michigan. The state of Michigan's renewable energy mandate requires energy providers to supply 15% of electricity from renewable sources by 2022. It was updated thanks in part to the controversy of proposed wind turbines in the . The Planning Commission along with the Southcentral Michigan Planning Council have worked on the plan. The next jump was to the 494' class. 3. Reflecting the recent increase is Consumers Energy's 100 megawatt Lake Winds Energy Park in Mason County, which opened in late 2012. So far, all of. In 2019, approximately 2000 megawatts (MW) are generated by wind energy in Michigan accounting for about 5% of the total energy produced.2 This document is designed for local DT: September 9, 2004 . The order includes 47 V150-4.2 MW wind turbines delivered in 4.5 MW Power Optimized Mode as well as a 10-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service contract, optimizing the energy . Pegasus is constructing a commercial wind energy system in Tuscola County. Blue Canyon Wind Farm began operations in 2003 with 45 turbines producing 74 MW of electricity. Energy & the Environment 26 April 2021 Birds, Bats & Wind Turbines Robert Stribley A trained falcon, equipped with GPS and a very high frequency tracker, gathers data that helps scientists improve bird detection technologies at wind facilities. The county has 11 wind projects with 300 turbines and could reach 1,000 turbines if. . Wind power is the predominant generating technology in the Main Tier, with 21 wind farms generating or expected to generate 1,696 MW of new renewable energy by the end of 2014. . Wind Farm Controversy. Michigan is "a wonderful case study" of many of the challenges and opportunities facing wind-generated electricity throughout the U.S., according to Tom Kiernan. Bledsoe has scheduled a community forum on May 3 to discuss the impact the wind turbines will have on the lake. Answer: Wind turbines an alternative source of power that is creating a stir on both sides of the state. Early wind farms were built far from people, in places like the arid Tehachapi Pass, which connects the San Joaquin Valley to the Mojave Desert, and the Delaware Mountains of Culberson County, Texas (pop: 2,188). Despite advance preparation, the first project proposal brought 18 months of controversy to this township, leading to substantial reform in their ordinance. The Gratiot County Wind Farm has 133 wind turbines scattered over more than 30,000 acres. 7 Noteworthy DIY Wind Turbine Renewable Energy Projects You Can Do in a Weekend; Michigan Wind Farm Map (2022) Great Lakes Water Levels . Some critics, hunters in particular, of wolf reintegration programs fear the safety of communities and livestock as wolf populations increase. 59% of the total operating in the state. Members of the Juniata Township planning commission voted to approve a special land use request by wind turbine supplier NextEra Energy Resources. The state House of Representatives last month approved a bill, by a 3-to-1 margin, that would require a study into the possibility of new nuclear build-outs in Michigan.. Rep. Graham Filler, R-Saint Johns, said he authored the bill in hopes of cutting through "the fear . Exelon is still waiting for land use applications to be reviewed by Bridgehampton and Marion. ALMER TOWNSHIP A federal judge recently dealt a blow to big wind development in a Tuscola County township. One of the reasons wind development has such profound land use controversy is that wind energy has strikingly high land use per unit of energy generated . 6, 2022 at 3:26 PM PDT. During 2018-19, Casnovia residents expressed concern to officials that the project. 7. LOOKS LIKE WIND turbines will be on the ballot in L'Anse Township next spring. Wind turbines kill a lot of birds. Although the turbines themselves have been steeped in controversy since the first Michigan wind farm was installed near Traverse City in 1996, with complaints of everything from visual pollution to environmental damage, Howell said his problem is not the turbines, but the transmission lines that follow in their wake. The township clerk Monday evening certified 410 signatures on a petition to put the controversial issue on the ballot. GREEN SPRINGS, Ohio Ohio's highly contentious debate over setback requirements for massive wind turbines is being played out in rural Seneca and Sandusky . Hendrick's recall petition cites the reason for recall as follows: "On or about March 8, 2022, (Simpson, Albert, Noon and Wojcik) voted in favor of Ordinance 3-8-22 amending the zoning regulations for solar energy systems in Keene Township.". The Detroit News reports two of the wind farms are in Isabella County, the other is in Delta County in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.