Michigan Wind Vision

A WIND VISION FOR NEW GROWTH IN MICHIGAN New research shows how expanding wind energy will benefit state economy A New Era for Wind Power in the United States wind energy under the Wind Vision U.S. Department of Energy scenario would result in Michigan Wind Vision report shows landowners receiving over $4.71 million dollars in annual payments potential benefits for Michigan by 2020, increasing to over $7.65 with continued expansion of million dollars annually by 2030. wind power in the state. Michigan farmers and A definitive new report recently families stand to benefit from released by the U.S. Department of significant freshwater savings Energy (DOE) shows huge potential and cleaner air by harvesting for wind power in Michigan and even more electricity from wind ENOUGH ELECTRICITY throughout the United States. The energy. DOE’s “Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States” Continuing to grow Michigan-made wind power offers tremendous water TO POWER finds wind energy could grow from supplying over 3.66% of the conservation and clean air benefits electricity generated in Michigan as well. Meeting the Wind Vision today to 4.8% by 2020 and more scenario would result in more than than 6.8% by 2030 – producing 616.33 million gallons of annual $ electricity for the equivalent of water savings by 2020, and by 2030 710,000 average American homes.* those savings grow to over 4.4 11.6 billion gallons a year. Generations Achieving the Wind Vision in of Michigan families also stand to Michigan would provide the state benefit from added clean air benefits with numerous benefits, including by harvesting more of the state’s MILLION electricity from wind energy. By 2030 $3.59 billion dollars in total wind energy produced in Michigan electricity bill savings through would avoid over 9.6 million metric 2050. tons of carbon pollution a year, or IN ANNUAL 710,000 2.02 million cars’ worth of emissions. With the continued expansion of wind power, Michiganders would Homegrown Michigan wind PROPERTY TAX also benefit from the addition of energy can save consumers HOMES new well-paying jobs and added money and boost local revenues flowing into state coffers. economies for years to come. REVENUE BY 2020 BY WIND BY 2030 Property tax revenues could exceed $11.62 million dollars annually by With a wind resource rich enough 2020, and more than $17.09 million to supply 163% of Michigan’s dollars annually by 2030 due to new current electricity needs – at prices wind farm development. increasingly competitive with conventional fuels - expanding this Farmers and other rural Michigan clean, abundant form of homegrown landowners currently receive an energy is a win-win solution for estimated $4.59 million dollars a year Michigan to boost economic in land lease payments for hosting development well into the future. wind turbines. Further expansion of * While the DOE projections are encouraging, they do not include projections for the expected growth of wind power in the state resulting from the Clean Power Plan (CPP). In analyzing the draft CPP rules, the U.S. Energy Information Administration found that A New Era for Wind Power in the United States Michigan could add an additional 5,724 megawatts of low-cost wind by 2025 to help meet emission reduction requirements. See, e.g. American Wind Energy Association, EIA analysis shows wind is most cost-effective option for Clean Power Plan compliance, available at http://awea.files.cms-plus.com/AWEA%20report%20on%20EIA%20CPP%20analysis%20July%202015.pdf WIND VISION FOR GROWTH IN MICHIGAN 2 DOE report: Wind can become consumer savings and cumulative one of the leading sources of savings on U.S. electric bills totaling U.S. electricity by 2050 $149 billion. If fossil fuel prices MILLION increase more than expected, electric consumers would start to IN ANNUAL LEASE The DOE’s Wind Vision report finds see direct savings even sooner. that wind power could supply 10% of the entire U.S. electricity mix by PAYMENTS TO Expanded use of wind power $ 2020, 20% by 2030, and 35% by would benefit public health MICHIGAN FARMERS 2050 – making wind energy one of 7.6 and prevent 22,000 premature the leading sources of electricity deaths. AND OTHER RURAL in the country. That growth would LANDOWNERS BY 2030 widely benefit the U.S. economy and The positive clean air benefits of environment. powering Michigan and the U.S. with more wind energy creates Meeting Wind Vision scenarios an economic opportunity as well. could create 380,000 well- Cumulatively through 2050, wind’s paying jobs by 2030 and bring pollution reductions would avoid billions of dollars in consumer $400 billion in climate change savings to the U.S. by 2050. damages and would save an additional $108 billion in public The positive benefits that wind health costs by cutting other air energy’s growth can bring to the $ pollutants, including the prevention American economy are significant 3.59 of 22,000 premature deaths. In – especially in the increasingly some years drought conditions competitive global wind energy affect many Michigan farmers market. The U.S. currently ranks and rural landowners across the number one in the world in wind BILLION state. According to DOE’s Wind energy production, ahead of China Vision, wind energy has the ability and Spain, providing enough to conserve 260 billion gallons electricity to power the equivalent of freshwater annually by 2050, of 18 million average American BILLION IN TOTAL displacing 23% of total U.S. power homes. Today, American wind plant water usage. GALLONS OF power supports 73,000 well-paying jobs, including nearly 20,000 ELECTRICITY The benefits of America’s wind manufacturing jobs at over 500 energy are of national importance. FRESH factories in 43 states. By highlighting several case studies, BILL SAVINGS this report shares the success story By reaching 20% of the nation’s of wind energy in the Great Lake electricity mix by 2030, wind energy WATER State and for the first time ever FOR MICHIGAN could create an additional 380,000 releases new state-specific data CONSERVED well-paying jobs across the country, from the DOE’s Wind Vision report increasing to 600,000 by 2050. that shows what’s possible with wind EVERY YEAR CONSUMERS Beyond job growth, by 2050 wind power’s continued rise. could provide $14 billion a year in BY 2030 THROUGH 2050 A New Era for Wind Power in the United States WIND POWER IN MICHIGAN TODAY 4 “ Growing wind power in Wind power in Michigan helps protect Michigan today the Great Lakes for future generations. Further Wind energy capacity Wind farms provided over 3.6% of the electricity generated in Michigan at the tapping into our state’s end of 2014, ranking the state 14th in the country. Michigan has 887 wind turbines wind energy resources currently installed, comprising 1,531 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity will foster and enable - enough to power 355,000 homes. That total ranks the state 15th in the country, with an additional 30 MW of capacity innovation, while creating under construction. a career path for young Economics people. By growing Michigan is a leader in wind turbine and component manufacturing with 33 factories spread across the state. These facilities have attracted significant investment as part of the wind energy supply chain, including the arrival of Monroe-based wind power nationwide, Ventower Industries, Michigan’s first wind tower manufacturing facility. America will gain Current benefits from Michigan-made wind power include: (1) $2.9 billion in total wind farm investment; (2) $4.6 million dollars a year in land lease payments to financial, energy, and Michigan landowners; and (3) up to 4,000 well-paying Michigan jobs. environmental security.” Environment + public health benefits Generating wind power does not create pollution or use water. The wind power RICH VANDER VEEN, produced in Michigan currently saves 799.1 million gallons of water every year, PRESIDENT, MACKINAW POWER equivalent to 6.1 billion bottles of water, and avoids 1.3 million metric tons of carbon pollution annually, or the equivalent of 268,000 cars’ worth of carbon emissions. 5 WIND POWER IN MICHIGAN TODAY A New Era for Wind Power in the United States Founded in 2008, Monroe-based wind design – driving down the cost of wind tower manufacturer Ventower is a full power in the last few years,” said Scott service fabricator and supplier of utility Viciana, Vice President at Ventower. and distributed-scale wind turbine “The result is that wind power is more towers. The company has recently affordable than ever, and our business experienced rapid growth, expanding keeps growing.” Ventower their workforce by adding 51 new employees over the past year. Ventower recently supplied all 62 towers for the Consumers Energy Working with industry leaders GE, Crosswinds Energy Park project in Gamesa, and Siemens, Ventower’s Tuscola County, and supplied all 10 115,000 square foot facility produces towers for the Heritage Sustainable 90 meter and taller towers (300 feet) Energy Big Turtle project in eastern that are shipped to Michigan-based Huron County. The company also projects and beyond. continues to build their inventory in anticipation of increased demand in “We’ve seen advances in technology coming years with the implementation – taller towers paired with higher of the Clean Power Plan and 40 efficiency and energy output due to gigawatts of new wind power projected longer blades and improved nacelle for the MISO region. A New Era for Wind Power in the United States CASE STUDIES 8 Gratiot County Wind Park “ Wind power Key facts Invenergy, about half of this 212.8 MW project is now development is • Job Creation: 200 full-time owned by the local utility DTE jobs during construction, with Energy.

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