Lake Michigan Offshore Wind Feasibility Assessment Project

Lake MichiganBackground

Grand Valley State University and its Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC), working in partnership with the University of Michigan and its Phoenix Energy Institute, is engaging in a Great Lakes Offshore Wind Assessment project that will feature extended season wind assessment and related environmental studies on Lake Michigan as part of a comprehensive Great Lakes wind assessment review.

Identified as a rich and abundant source of wind energy, the Great Lakes are presently being considered as a source for meeting a significant portion of the region's renewable energy needs in the coming decades

The principal objective of the project is to develop a better understanding of offshore wind resources as well as other physical, biological and environmental conditions on the Great Lakes as precursor activity to the future development of offshore wind energy technology. The project will deploy an extended season offshore wind assessment research buoy that will feature the use of LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) laser light pulse technology as an alternative to traditional cup anemometer wind measurement instrumentation. The buoy will be deployed in multiple locations over the life of the project, including the mid-lake plateau region of Lake Michigan.

Project Summary

The Steinman Lab's role on the project team is to analyze various environmental parameters associated with the research buoy.  Nutrient, light, and water quality data obtained from the buoys throughout most of the year will greatly enhance our knowledge of Lake Michigan dynamics. We will track seasonal variations in primary productivity and phytoplankton biomass.

This project follows up on the work and study results of the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Council (GLOW), appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm in January of 2009. The GLOW Council and other recent Great Lakes studies have identified the need for additional research of year-round wind conditions and related environmental factors that may be important to future development of off-shore wind energy technology on the Great Lakes. The Offshore Wind Assessment Project hopes to contribute to a greater understanding of this significant renewable energy resource.

Funding for this project is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy,
University of Michigan, WE Energies, and Michigan Public Service Commission

Partners:
Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center
Phoenix Energy Institute

Contacts:
Al Steinman, Co-Principal Investigator: steinmaa@gvsu.edu
Mary Ogdahl, Lead Technician: ogdahlm@gvsu.edu
Kurt Thompson, Technician: thompsok@gvsu.edu