Great Question for the Great Lakes
Let's hear from our Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Superior neighbors!
The Netherlands get to boast about having the world’s largest offshore wind farm in a freshwater lake. And rather than being an eyesore and a bone of contention, guess what?
It’s got a boatload of fans.
Not only do locals love it, the wind farm has become a boon to tourism. Behold, the Windmill Cup -
OK. So, sailing among a bunch of wind turbines does sound like an interesting challenge and probably, a good way to sell t-shirts. But do the locals really love it?
Yes, for several good reasons.
Before construction, area residents were engaged in many ways to make the project more palatable to the people who would live with it. One by-product of that process: the turbines were configured in a sort-of hexagonal shape, which minimizes the visual disruption from shore.
Another way that Windpark Fryslan made a positive impression: locals were invited to invest in the wind farm, so they could enjoy dividends from the energy sales.
And in that most basic way that wind energy delivers, Fryslan powers 500,00 households - accounting for about 1.2% of the country’s total energy needs.
Why Doesn’t the US Tap the Power of the Great Lakes?
That’s a loaded question, and we know it. We’re asking anyway, and we’re asking earnestly.
The Dutch have been doing windmills for so long that engineering students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison include wind power an example of Ancient Engineering Technologies - right up there with water management techniques at Machu Picchu and Pompeii’s sanitation systems.
Obviously, the US has a thing or two to learn from The Netherlands. But the point is, we can learn, can’t we?
Part of the process that must happen in order for the US to become a leader in clean energy is providing some basic education to our elected officials. Just to be clear, we do have an energy crisis looming: we need a lot more energy, a lot sooner than we’re on track to generate it. And wind is part of the AND in the solution.
As in AND Wind AND Solar AND Nuclear AND, AND, and.
And now, we’d like to hear from you.
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin - represent! Each of these Great Lakes States has wind farms on the ground. The technology is proven, the price is right, the wind is right off shore.
Who’s going first?
Are you interested in seeing wind power generated off the Great Lakes? Contact us. We talk about wind, solar, nuclear, and geothermal energy, along with all the nerdy engineering and gee-whiz technology that goes along with the industry on the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. We would welcome your comments and they might even spur further conversations on the podcast and elsewhere.
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