Windmills in Lake Michigan?

1. 78

   brimancandyposted 14 years ago

   I'm not sure how many of you live in or near the state of Michigan, but, there is a push in our state to build a large amount on Wind power generators out in the waters of Lake Michigan, to generate electricity.
   
   Is it just me, or does anyone else think that this is a bad idea. There is so much vacan't farmland in Michigan where they could build these windmills, why build them in the water? I think these would be a huge danger to lakeshore birds, not to mention kill tourism in any town near them.
   
   It's true that these might pick up some decent lake winds, but, they would also have to consider other things like 20 foot waves slamming against them during storms, tremdous pressure of the forces of moving Ice in the winter, not to mention a huge amount of sand that could constanlty clog the gears.
   
   Obviously the people who are planning this have never been on a 1,000 acre farm during a storm. You want to talk about wind, you will find it there. So why not build them there, and lots of them, instead of just a few out in the lake.

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   1. 70

      yenajeonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I am from Michigan as well. Maybe it would be a great idea IF we even had remotely any leftover money. Look at the construction that is being stopped on all the bad roads/highways. There are no jobs at all.
      
      Everyone in the state (of those who are left) are all moving out because they are sick of how badly the State treats them. There are cops on every block waiting to ticket you bc the city needs the money. Its disgusting. At times I feel as if I am living in a police state circa 1930's Soviet Union.
      (sorry that was sort of off topic)

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2. 0

   PrettyPantherposted 14 years ago

   I know next to nothing about wind power, but I do know a little something about how locations are selected for projects, and you can be sure that whoever is planning to build the generators has done a thorough investigation before selecting their preferred site, including considerations of cost, effectiveness, and state and federal regulations.
   
   People (whether they be corporations, government entities, or individual investors) don't make huge monetary investments like that without due consideration of all the factors.

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3. 64

   Has_aWayWithWordsposted 14 years ago

   Take a look at some of my hubs about green energy like wind energy, there is a lot of information and links to resources about the technology. FYI they can place those windmills strategically in the lake where they will have little to no impact on tourism,wildlife, or local residents. One other thing to mention about this technology is that the tourism benefit can actually be a great one, think about the holland windmills, there are many wind farms world wide that actually draw tourists and give tours of the facilities to help generate interest and revenue for the area.

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4. 70

   wyanjenposted 14 years ago

   There is a wind farm in Huron County that seems to be successful.
   
   They are exploring the Detroit River right now, studying bird migration.
   I support it completely. It's not a commercial venture, it is Wyandotte Municipal. (My city generates it's own power.)
   The economy seems to have stalled the process though...

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5. 64

   Has_aWayWithWordsposted 14 years ago

   Most of the energy initiatives will benefit local governments because of federal funding and energy company grants. It will actually take pressure off of the city and state governments. It will also take pressure off of the people who use these sources because of the various incentives from companies trying to grow this technology.

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6. 73

   livewithrichardposted 14 years ago

   Building wind farms on land is a much more cost efficient method and you get multiple uses of the land.
   
   
   
   Actual farming of crops can still occur on these farms.

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7. 64

   Has_aWayWithWordsposted 14 years ago

   That is not entirely accurate...the amount of wind produced is higher over lakes and oceans, this means it takes less wind turbines to produce similar amounts of power. The use in water also does not take away from land use or limit future use of the land for additional building. Wind farms on land are more restrictive in terms of location and proximity to buildings,airports,neighborhoods, etc.

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   1. 0

      PrettyPantherposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      HasaWay, I am glad you are here with the knowledge to comment on this! 

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   2. 73

      livewithrichardposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I didn't say it more efficient, I said it was more cost efficient.  Putting them in the water takes more of our public access away from us.  Putting them on private property eliminates any objections to public access.

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8. 70

   pylos26posted 14 years ago

   Major complaints about the cosmetic effect of wind farms in Ca. and Fl. May  affect  location selection.

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9. 78

   brimancandyposted 14 years ago

   I disagree with you hasawaywithwords.
   
   As a regular visitor to Lake Michigan, I do not see your point on the winds on Lake Michigan. There are days there, when there is no wind at all, and the water is like glass as far as you can see. On the days when there would be wind, like I mentioned, you also have to consider the poundings these windmills would take from the surf. Which is something they would not receive on land.
   
   This is not like they want to build one or two windmills. They want to build islands of them, with 100 or so on each island.
   This would drastically alter the lake Michigan shoreline around the areas where they plan to build them. Erosion is already a problem, and, this would only make it worse.
   
   Why do a project that might have a possible negative outcome, when you can build thousands of these on land, for half of what it might cost to construct these islands. You also have to consider how they are going to get to these lakefront windmills to service them.
   
   We are trying to protect various areas of the shoreline dunes, and wildlife from the condo crowd, and now we have this. I think
   it is a horrible idea. Also, your comment about tourism. When was the last time anyone talked about the hydro dam up in ludington? The immediate interest might be good, but in the longterm people will lose interest.
   
   The old windmills in Holland are only part of a larger picture. The only time they see huge amounts of visitors is during tulip-time. And, a majority of the visitors are there for the history of the windmills, and the many colorfull gardens of tulips. That land has also been subject to real estate developers
   who want to put condos there as well. Dutch Village in holland, used to be a very nice place to visit. Now it sits smack dab in the middle of commercial hell.
   
   If I were in charge of this project, I would claim land for the public good. (Which is often done to seal government projects)
   and, build these windmills on farmland. If there are farmers there, they can farm around them. They don't seem to have a problem with massive power poles on their land. This would be
   no different.

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