Finding Wind Turbine Locations in Northwest Lower Michigan

Presentation Overview Introduction & Background Methodology Anticipated Results & Problems Questions

Introduction & Background Michigan’s Renewable Portfolio Standard – 10% by 2015 Michigan ranked 14th in country for Wind Potential MSU Land Policy Institute – estimated need for 1,250 wind turbines, 311 in region

Introduction & Background Northwest Michigan Council of Governments area NWMCOG’s role as the Regional Planning Organization

Methodology Determine where 311 wind turbines should be located within NWMCOG region using a two step analysis process Modified & expanded project from GEOG 586

Methodology – Step 1 Identify potential wind turbine sites with following criteria: Located on agricultural or forested lands and offshore Having the best wind potential Not located within urban areas Close to transportation Close to Transmission Lines Not located within environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, Great Lakes Dunes, steep slopes (greater than 20 percent), inland lakes, and protected wilderness areas

Methodology – Step 1 Layers converted to raster format Raster files reclassified for suitability Reclassified layers combined using Raster Calculator Resulting layer identifies potential sites

Methodology – Step 2 Locating 311 towers on potential sites Land based sites require ¼ acre minimum footprint and 450 meters distance between towers Offshore sites require lakebed depth less than 180 ft and 50 ft based on current technology

Anticipated Results & Problems Final Product – Map showing greater than 311 possible locations for wind turbines Potential Problems – include acquiring Transmission Line data

Questions?