Wind Generation Options*
Small
Wind Turbines: These can be stand-alone or grid-connected,
usually 100 kW or smaller, for use in residential, small farm,
or small businesses. The majority of the electricity is used on-site.
In many states, small wind turbines are eligible for net metering
programs, allowing turbine owners to "bank" excess electricity
with the local utility.
Michigan’s Public Service commission is working on a net
metering program, look for more information later in 2005. More
on small wind.
Small
Distributed Wind Projects: These are single or small clusters of utility-scale
wind turbines. Often, projects such as these are owned and operated
by individual farmers, farmer-owned business entities, local investors,
municipalities or large energy consumers to offset their own consumption.
These projects typically interconnect to existing local power
distribution lines. The
turbines at Mackinaw City and Traverse City fit this description.
Community Wind Energy:
These projects come in many shapes and sizes, but are unified
by having some level of local or public involvement, equity, initiation,
and control. Examples include: school-owned wind turbines, farmer
owned wind cooperatives or Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs),
and local public power wind projects.
Large-Scale Wind Power Plants: These consist
of large arrays of wind turbines concentrated in one area and
governed under a single power purchase agreement. Often these
projects are financed by large institutional investors based outside
the local area. They are most often owned and operated by corporate
entities, and land easements are signed with property owners.
Projects of this size require their own transmission lines to
deliver power to a distant population center. For the purposes
of this website, wind power plants are classified as any project
over 12 MW. Michigan does not yet have any large-scale
wind power plants, but wind developers are planning ones in the
Mason County area and in the Thumb.
Virtual tour of large-scale wind systems.
*Descriptions closely follow those published by Windustry.org.
