Wind energy picks up speed in Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A new partnership in Grand Rapids hopes to harness the power of the wind.

Rockford Construction, based in the Grand Rapids area, is teaming with a Spanish company called Berge, a leader in wind energy. They hope that together they can score many contracts to build wind farms across West Michigan.

They say that ultimately the landscape will look quite different, with the possibility of towering turbines dotting the map, producing enough energy to potentially power tens of thousands of homes.

"There are definite opportunities for getting wind farms to be built in West Michigan," said Birgit Klohs, of The Right Place, "the wind regimes on the lake are the second best in the country."

But before the jobs get created and the turbines get built, there needs to be a plan, which is why local leaders called a news conference on Wednesday to introduce the new partnership.

"Rockford-Berge is now the one-stop shop that will support Michigan's wind developers," said consultant Bruce Thompson.

The partnership comes on the heels of a new mandate from the state to create ten percent of the state's power from renewable resources by 2015, a mandate that took two years to be approved by the legislature. In those two years, other states moved to the front of wind energy.

Texas currently leads the nation, generating more than 7,000 megawatts of electricity from wind, Michigan only generates 129 megawatts. West Virginia is generating 330 megawatts of power, and Iowa generates close to 3,000. Keep in mind that one megawatt powers 300 homes a year.

Those who are marketing the area to try to develop the technology to create new jobs say Michigan has so much potential.

"Given the wind capabilities of our lakes, both on shore and eventually off-shore, I think we can play a big role," said Klohs.

There are hopes that the wind energy initiative in the state will eventually create 4,500 jobs, perhaps some of those jobs will be manufacturing positions building parts for the gigantic turbines.

"I think the jobs are coming in the manufacturing area, eventually in the logistics area, in the trucking area, you name it," said Klohs.

Currently, there are only two commercial wind farms in Michigan, both on the east side of the state, but there are plans for dozens more, hopefully creating enough energy to power half a million homes.