 |
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| |||||
Development Business Assistance Economic Development Economic Indicators Manufacturing Trade Transportation Workforce Development Business and Environment Agriculture Energy Fish and Fisheries Forests and Forestry Maritime Pollution Prevention Sustainable Development References Agencies & Organizations Demographics Jobs and Careers Legislative Tracking Great Lakes Priorities Legislative News |
Wind Energy in the Great Lakes Region What's New | Overview | General Resources | Related Resources Energy: Biomass | Efficiency | Renewable | Wind 
What's New Turbines put near Lake Erie energize conservation, wind power debate The Toledo Blade (3/31) The proposed placement of wind turbines along the western Lake Erie coast has some avian ecologists worried about potential impacts to migrating birds. Wind power on the rise in the Great Lakes region Great Lakes Echo (3/27) Nearly 70 percent of all new power plants built in the Great Lakes region use wind as an energy source, according to reports from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Illustrating the aesthetic impacts of offshore wind turbines in Lake Erie (3/25) In Ohio, residents are hotly debating whether wind energy facilities should be located off the Lake Erie shore. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Coastal Management created visualizations of a theoretical wind farm using Lake Erie photos taken from various vantage points along the Cleveland lakefront. Lake Erie shoreline shapes up as test for birds and energy Great Lakes Echo (3/12) Western Lake Erie is a critical flyway for migratory birds as well as a prime area for offshore wind development-how can they co-exist? COMMENTARY: Offshore wind energy grows in the Great Lakes, but not in Ontario The Energy Collective (3/10) The power crunch will come. Offshore wind, responsibly developed and set back far enough from the shore, could be an important part of Ontario’s clean energy mix. Windstream seeks arbitration in $475 million NAFTA claim The Toronto Star (2/28) The owners of a stalled off-shore wind power project in Lake Ontario have filed for arbitration of their $475 million claim under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Overview There are numerous opportunities to be had from the development of both onshore and offshore wind energy. In the Great Lakes region, planning and construction are moving forward at a breakneck speed. The eight-state Great Lakes region has a tremendous capacity for new wind development, especially offshore. According to estimates provided in the 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report, the Great Lakes states would contribute 61,288 megawatts toward achieving the 20 percent scenario. A primary benefit of using wind-generated electricity is its role in reducing the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere. Wind-generated electricity is produced without emitting CO2, the greenhouse gas (GHG) that is the major cause of global climate change. In addition, wind energy does not require the level of water resources consumed by many other kinds of power generation. As a result, it may offer communities in water-stressed areas the option of economically meeting growing energy needs without increasing demands on valuable water resources. While we generally do not think of the Great Lakes region as being water stressed, lake levels are dropping all around the basin and the impacts of climate change to those levels are still unknown. Wind energy can also provide targeted energy production to serve critical local water system needs such as irrigation and municipal systems. In addition, wind energy can bring much-needed economic development to our region.
General Resources Great Lakes Regional Wind Energy Institute The Great Lakes Wind Energy Institute is a regional collaboration that provides the tools for Wind Working Groups to better equip themselves with the knowledge and skills to promote wind energy within their states. Great Lakes Wind Collaborative The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC) is a group established to build consensus and identify and address issues affecting the planning, development, and operation of wind power facilities in the Great Lakes region. Habitat Conservation: Wind Power U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Ecological Services The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service stands ready to work with industry and other governmental agencies and stakeholders to facilitate wind energy project design, siting, and operation to avoid or minimize adverse environmental impacts. Wind Power and Wildlife Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies State fish and wildlife agencies are involved in different aspects of wind power development and to different degrees (e.g., consultation with developers, review of permits, cooperation with other states agencies and utility regulators).
Related Resources GLIN: Agencies and Organizations, Energy GLIN: Renewable Energy in the Great Lakes Region | |
|
News | Calendar | Great Links | SOTM | E-Lists | Info Center | About GLIN The Great Lakes | Environment | Economy | Education | Maps and GIS | Tourism Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. |
||
