Wind power in Michigan

Electricity from wind in one U.S. state

The first commercial wind turbine in Michigan, installed in Leelanau County near Traverse City in 1996, was retired and dismantled in 2022.

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. In January 2021, there were a total of 1,481 wind turbines in the state with a nameplate capacity of 2,549 MW.[1][2][3] The nameplate total exceeded 2,000 MW when Pine River came online in March 2019. Wind provided 4.2% of the state's electricity in 2016.[4]

Michigan's requirement for 10 percent renewable energy by 2015 has led to increased alternative development in the state since this law was passed in 2008. A ballot initiative requiring 25% by 2025 failed in 2012.[5]

The development of alternative energy sources has stimulated new businesses and employment. In 2011, the Environmental Law & Policy Center identified more than 100 businesses in Michigan involved in engineering and manufacturing wind turbine components, and employing 4,000 people.[6]

Michigan Wind Generation Capacity by Year

Megawatts of Installed Generating Capacity[7][8][9]

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.[10] In 2001 Mackinaw City installed 2 turbines rated at 0.6 MW each. (The turbines at Mackinaw City were removed in May 2024.[11]) Laker Elementary School in the Thumb region installed three 65KW turbines and a 10KW one, totaling 0.2 MW in 2005.[12]

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.[13] Huron County has the highest number of wind turbines in the state.

In 2010, wind power produced 0.3% of Michigan's electrical power.[14] Installed wind capacity more than doubled in 2011, to a total of 377 MW nameplate capacity.

The largest wind farm in Michigan, the 385 MW Isabella Wind Project developed by Apex Clean Energy and acquired by DTE, entered full operation in 2021.[15]

Michigan Wind 1, a 46-turbine wind farm near Ubly, Michigan, 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.[16]

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.[17]

## Wind farms

[edit]

Wind turbines in Tuscola County, Michigan in July 2015. Name | Size (MW) | Location[18]

|
|

Apple Blossom Wind Farm | 100 | Huron County[19]
Beebe Wind Farm | 81.6 | Gratiot County[20]
Beebe 1B Wind Farm | 50.4 | Gratiot County
Big Turtle Wind Farm | 50 | Huron County[21]
Brookfield Wind Farm | 75 | Huron County[22]
Crescent Wind | 166 | Hillsdale County[23]
Cross Winds | 111 | Tuscola County[24]
Cross Winds II | 44 | Tuscola County[25]
Cross Winds III | 76 | Tuscola County[26]
Deerfield Wind Farm | 261 | Huron County[19]
Echo Wind Park | 120 | Huron County[27]
Fairbanks Wind Farm | 72 | Delta County[28]
Garden Wind Farm | 28 | Garden Township, Delta County[29]
DTE/Invenergy Gratiot County Wind Project | 213 | Gratiot County
Gratiot Farms Wind | 150 | Gratiot County
Harvest Wind Farm I | 53 | Huron County
Harvest Wind Farm II | 59 | Huron County
Heartland Wind | 200 | Gratiot County
Isabella Wind | 385 | Isabella County
Lake Winds Energy Park | 100.8 | Mason County[30][31]
McKinley | 14 | Huron County
Meridian | 225 | Saginaw and Midland Counties[32]
Michigan Wind 1 | 69 | Ubly
Michigan Wind 2 | 90 | Minden City[33]
Minden | 32 | Sanilac
Pine River | 161 | Gratiot, Isabella Counties[34]
Pinnebog Wind Park | 50 | Huron County[35]
Pheasant Run Wind I | 75 | Huron County
Pegasus | 130 | Tuscola
Polaris Wind Park | 168 | Gratiot County[36]
Sigel | 64 | Huron County
Stoney Corners | 60 | McBain, Michigan[37]
Tuscola Bay | 120 | Tuscola, Bay, Saginaw counties
Tuscola II | 100 | Tuscola, Bay counties

## Wind generation

[edit]

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  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec
2008 | 142 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 36
2009 | 299 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 9 | 27 | 22 | 43
2010 | 359 | 38 | 24 | 33 | 37 | 27 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 32 | 33 | 39 | 46
2011 | 457 | 34 | 52 | 31 | 49 | 35 | 24 | 12 | 18 | 27 | 40 | 73 | 62
2012 | 1,130 | 107 | 88 | 99 | 88 | 66 | 68 | 38 | 52 | 64 | 121 | 110 | 229
2013 | 2,800 | 309 | 259 | 256 | 294 | 218 | 142 | 128 | 137 | 176 | 230 | 374 | 279
2014 | 3,867 | 420 | 354 | 380 | 386 | 291 | 221 | 210 | 156 | 231 | 355 | 457 | 406
2015 | 4,798 | 501 | 405 | 473 | 435 | 410 | 258 | 228 | 247 | 280 | 529 | 536 | 496
2016 | 4,694 | 524 | 487 | 403 | 330 | 315 | 302 | 273 | 202 | 327 | 392 | 498 | 641
2017 | 5,190 | 453 | 499 | 561 | 547 | 464 | 389 | 201 | 185 | 227 | 512 | 577 | 575
2018 | 5,456 | 763 | 535 | 589 | 468 | 411 | 297 | 243 | 263 | 295 | 536 | 510 | 546
2019 | 5,825 | 602 | 508 | 608 | 667 | 459 | 398 | 273 | 241 | 336 | 521 | 526 | 686
2020 | 6,734 | 608 | 681 | 587 | 512 | 505 | 375 | 273 | 324 | 534 | 641 | 908 | 786
2021 | 7,747 | 564 | 666 | 931 | 674 | 552 | 565 | 438 | 376 | 625 | 615 | 851 | 890
2022 | 9,110 | 881 | 922 | 919 | 845 | 742 | 592 | 509 | 438 | 515 | 838 | 991 | 918
2023 | 4,041 | 683 | 957 | 861 | 915 | 625 |  |  |  |  |  |  |

Teal background indicates the largest wind generation month for the year.

Green background indicates the largest wind generation month to date.

Source:[38][39][40][41][42][8]

Michigan used 102,489 GWh in 2016.[43]

## See also

[edit]

* Wind power portal
* Renewable energy portal
* Energy portal
* United States portal
* Michigan portal

* Solar power in Michigan
* List of power stations in Michigan
* Wind power in the United States
* Renewable energy in the United States
* United States energy law

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Michigan Wind Farm Map, Thumb Wind
2. ^ Wind power continues to dominate in Michigan, Windpower Engineering and Development, Michelle Froese, February 21, 2019
3. ^ Michigan Utility Scale wind Farms, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, December 2013
4. ^ "Michigan Wind Energy" (PDF). U.S. Wind Energy State Facts. American Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
5. ^ Ballot Initiative Would More Than Double Michigan’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, CleanTechnica, Silvio Marcacci, January 15, 2012
6. ^ The Solar and Wind Energy Supply Chain in Michigan, Environmental Law & Policy Center, 2011
7. ^ "WINDExchange: U.S. Installed Wind Capacity". U.S. Department of Energy. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
8. ^ a b Wind Energy in Michigan
9. ^ WINDExchange: U.S. Installed and Potential Wind Power Capacity and Generation
10. ^ Traverse City’s Utility Goes Greener, Michigan Land Use Institute, Glen Puit, May 20, 2009
11. ^ Mackinaw City's wind turbines come down, Soo Leader, Jim Lehocky, June 11, 2024
12. ^ Gordon Shetler, A Michigan school district goes green, inspiring young minds., EJ Magazine, Spring 2008
13. ^ Harvest Wind Farm Facts, Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, 2011
14. ^ Wind Energy Facts: Michigan, AWEA, January 2012
15. ^ [1] Global News Wire, 20 April 2021
16. ^ Jeff Kart, "New Michigan transmission line to multiply wind capacity", Midwest Energy News, January 10, 2012
17. ^ "Off-Shore Wind Deal Goes South", Interlochen Public Radio, June 9, 2010
18. ^ U.S. Wind Energy Projects – Michigan, AWEA, 2011
19. ^ a b Table 6.3. New Utility Scale Generating Units by Operating Company, Plant, and Month, 2017, Electric Power Monthly, U.S. Energy Information Administration, April 25, 2017
20. ^ Michigan Wind, Exelon Corporation
21. ^ Big Turtle, Heritage Wind
22. ^ DTE Energy buys Brookfield Township wind park, DTE, Jun 2, 2014
23. ^ Consumers Energy adds 60 turbines at Crescent Wind park in Hillsdale County
24. ^ Consumers Energy Opens 111 MW Michigan Wind Farm
25. ^ Second Phase Of Cross Winds Energy Park Begins Operating In Michigan
26. ^ Consumers: Phase III of energy park now operational and producing energy for customers
27. ^ Turbines begin operation at DTE Energy's Echo Wind Park
28. ^ DTE Energy Commissions Michigan’s Largest Wind Farms, North America Windpower, Matthew Mercure, April 20, 2021
29. ^ Garden Wind Farm, Heritage Sustainable Energy
30. ^ Lake Winds construction complete; Ludington-area wind farm praised for boosting Mason County, mlive.com, Dave Alexander, September 21, 2012
31. ^ Wind turbines in motion: Lake Winds Energy Park up and running in Mason County, mlive.com, November 26, 2012
32. ^ State’s largest wind energy park opens in mid-Michigan, WNEM, James Felton and Emily Brown, April 18, 2023]
33. ^ Exelon's Michigan Wind 2 Project Now Operational, PRNewswire-FirstCal, Jan. 5, 2012
34. ^ Pine River Wind begins commercial operation in Michigan, Windpower Engineering and Development, Michelle Froese | March 8, 2019
35. ^ DTE Energy’s Pinnebog Wind Park begins commercial operation in Michigan, Wind Power Engineering and Development, Michelle Froese, December 28, 2016
36. ^ DTE Energy wind park operational; can power 64,000 homes, AP at WXYZ Detroit, April 23, 2020
37. ^ Stoney Corners Wind Farm, Barton Marlow
38. ^ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.14.A." United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
39. ^ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.14.B." United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
40. ^ EIA (February 2013). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.17.A." (PDF). United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
41. ^ "Electricity Data browser". U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
42. ^ Table 1.14.B. Utility Scale Facility Net Generation from Wind, Electric Power Monthly, Energy Information Administration, United States Department of Energy, February 27, 2019
43. ^ EIA (December 2017). "Electric Power Annual". United States Department of Energy. p. Table 2.8. Retrieved 2017-12-08.

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