Harvest Wind Farm
By Nancy Tanner
Wolverine Power Cooperative, Cherryland’s power supplier, is purchasing renewable energy from the Harvest Wind Farm near Elkton in Huron County. The Harvest Wind Farm’s 32 turbines have generated electricity since the first of the year, as weather conditions and wind speeds allow.
Each turbine is capable of generating 1.65 megawatts of electricity for a total project capacity of 52.8 megawatts. That’s enough electricity to supply the ongoing needs of more than 15,000 Michigan homes.
In comparison, the wind turbine two miles west of Traverse City meets the needs of approximately 125 residential and business customers served by Traverse City Light & Power.
John Deere Wind Energy, the principal owner and developer of the Harvest Wind Farm, began installing wind turbines at the project site in June 2007. Construction went extremely well.
“Weather permitting, we were able to erect one turbine per day working around the clock,” said (name and title). “The land where the wind farm is located is flat, which allowed us to move cranes and other equipment from one turbine to the next quite easily.”
The Harvest Wind Farm spans across 3,200 acres in the Thumb, property leased from landowners in two townships. Each turbine has a 100-acre footprint.
John Deere will employ up to 10 people to operate and maintain the Harvest Wind Farm. The project represents a $90 million investment.
Wolverine has a 20-year agreement with John Deere Wind Energy to purchase energy from the wind farm. Wolverine will, in turn, sell energy from the project to its six member-companies, including Cherryland.
“Our involvement with John Deere Wind Energy on the Harvest Wind Farm project has been positive, to say the least,” said Eric D. Baker, president & CEO of Wolverine. “Renewable power has an important role to play, along with other technologies available today, in the creation of more balanced and cleaner electric generation in Michigan.”
Wolverine plans to explore other renewable energy projects in the state. This past fall the co-op installed a meteorological tower near Rogers City to determine the feasibility of a wind turbine farm at the site in Presque Isle County. The tower will collect weather data, including wind speed, wind direction and temperature, for the next 18 to 24 months.
In addition to Cherryland, Wolverine is owned by and supplies wholesale electric power to Great Lakes Energy, HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, Spartan Renewable Energy and Wolverine Power Marketing Cooperative.
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has voiced her support for the Harvest Wind Farm.
The Governor held a news conference in Lansing last June to announce the project. She also invited Wolverine to participate in roundtable discussions on renewable energy in October and November 2007.
“Projects like the Harvest Wind Farm, the first of its kind in Michigan, and investments in the alternative energy industry are key to our economic future,” Granholm said. “They create jobs and help diversify our economy – two top priorities for Michigan.”
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