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WIND ENERGYOur wind energy is really a product of Solar energy created by the uneven heating of atmospheric gases over two or more varying land or water masses on the earth. The capturing of Wind Energy has been used for thousands of years to fill sails for travel and to lighten labor loads through the use of windmills. More recently wind turbines have been used for practical purposes like generating electricity, charging batteries, pumping water, or grinding grain. Wind energy plants produce no air pollutants or greenhouse gases. The world has many areas which are conducive to wind power production, especially in the Midwest and Great Plains areas of North America Large, modern wind turbines are divided into two major categories: Horizontal axis turbines and vertical axis turbines. They can be operated as stand alone units for individual large commercial and industrial users or together in wind farms to produce electricity for utilities, to help provide clean non polluting and stable energy sources to help meet the demands of electrical power grids. There are few large wind plants in Michigan at this time although there is a great increase in interest to develop the use of large wind power generation in the Great Lakes Area both on land and offshore for both electrical generation and to produce Hydrogen fuels for more clean energy. Small turbines are used by homeowners and by people in remote areas to help meet energy needs and some old-fashioned windmills are still seen in many rural areas.
There are net metering provisions available in some areas and incentives like government and private grants and the federal production tax credit which help to ease the installed cost of wind turbines. These along with other improvements have helped to lower the cost of wind installations immensely in the last 20 years. We at Southern Exposure Renewable Energy Co. are proud to be working with organizations such as the Great lakes Renewable Energy Association and the Wind Working Group of the Michigan Renewable Energy Program to help promote the use of wind energy and to help establish the guidelines to be used by both Government and Industry to clear the way for implementation of the use of Wind power in both Michigan and beyond.
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