If Michigan allowed close to 100,000 wind turbines to be plopped along the shore of the Great Lakes, it would produce enough energy to power the entire Upper Midwest, according to a Michigan State University Land Policy Institute study set to be released today, according to the MIRS News Service.
While acknowledging that such a scenario is absurd, the study "Michigan's Offshore Wind Potential" produced the calculations to show the state what is possible if wind turbines were moved next to and into the Great Lakes.
For example, to use offshore wind energy to satisfy all of Michigan's power demands, the state would need to plop 11,469 wind turbines 10 kilometers offshore at a depth of 60 meters, according to the study, authored by Charles McKeown and Soji Adelaja.
In total, the power potential of offshore wind turbines is 20 times that of onshore power, the report states.
"This result has the potential to elevate Michigan's wind energy profile nationally and internationally because the resource available is significant," said Adelaja, a John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor and director of the LPI at Michigan State University. "Michigan is one of few states with the opportunity to generate wind power from its offshore areas."
Currently, wind turbines can be built along and in the Great Lakes if a company is willing to follow the Department of Environmental Quality and U.S. Army Corps of Engineer procedures. Nobody has tried it yet.
The preliminary analysis finds that Michigan's portion of the Great Lakes has the capacity to produce 321,936 megawatts of electricity from wind energy, a portion of which could be developed once depth, technology, view and environmental concerns are considered. Michigan's onshore wind potential was previously estimated at approximately 16,500 megawatts.
Michigan uses roughly 29,000 megawatts of electricity a year.
While Michigan is well-endowed in onshore wind resources -- 14th nationwide -- it is even better endowed in offshore wind, the report states. Much of the Great Lakes bottomland is in Michigan's jurisdiction, and nearly 40 percent of the Great Lakes service is in Michigan's boundaries.
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