Case Studies
This database
provides information on existing and under
construction wind energy projects by state.
Caddet Renewable Energy. 1997. Lely
Off-shore Wind Farm in the Netherlands. IEA;
OECD: Technical Brochure No. 61.
http://lib.kier.re.kr/caddet/retb/no61.pdf
This technical brochure describes the only
freshwater offshore wind farm in the world.
This case study describes the economic
benefits of wind energy development in the Toronto
region.
D'Agnese, Joseph. Summer 2007. Falling in
Love With Wind: How a Small Farm Town Traded its
Dairy Cows for Renewable Energy. On Earth;
29(2): 14-21.
This article relates how New York State
farmers started putting windmills on their farmland.
Environmental Law and Policy Center. May 2004.
Midwest/Great Plains Wind Power Project Map.
http://www.elpc.org/documents/WindMap2004.pdf
This map shows the locations of all existing
and planned wind power projects in the Midwest
region as of 2004.
This study assesses the impact of the wind
industry in Quebec. The first part provides an
overview of the wind industry's development to date
in Québec, and the second part compares the approach
of Québec with that of other jurisdictions.
This article describes the development of
wind energy on Lake Michigan's eastern shore.
Latimer, Corinne. 2006. Planning for wind
energy in rural Ontario: a comparison of the German
and Danish experience to Huron, Grey and Bruce
County. Master's thesis, University of Guelph.
(Description not available)
This is the environmental report of a wind
project in Minnesota.
Economics of Wind Energy
AWS TrueWind, LLC. 2005. An analysis of the
impact of large-scale wind generation on the Ontario
electricity system. Canadian Wind Energy
Association. 19pp.
https://ozone.scholarsportal.info/bitstream/1873/1054/1/267559.pdf
This analysis contributes to understanding
the potential impacts of significantly enhanced wind
energy generation on the Ontario electrical grid. It
clearly suggests that the addition of 2,000 MW of
new wind energy capacity in Ontario is manageable.
Bradley, David. September 2004. A Great
Potential: The Great Lakes as a Regional Renewable
Energy Source. Greengold Development
Corporation. Buffalo, NY.
http://greengold.org/wind/documents/88.pdf
This report argues that given the huge,
usable areas and significant wind
resources of the Great Lakes, the region's entire
electrical demand could be readily supplied by
offshore wind turbines, at prices similar to and
more stable than existing electrical rates.
Environmental Law and Policy Center. Job
Jolt: The Economic Impacts of Repowering the Midwest.
An Economic Study by the Regional Economics
Applications Laboratory for the Environmental Law &
Policy Center. Chicago, IL. 14pp.
http://www.elpc.org/documents/JobJolt.pdf
This document discusses the impact of
implementing the Repowering the Midwest Clean Energy
Development Plan (see below). It argues that doing
so would create more than 200,000 new jobs across
the 10-state Midwest region by 2020, up to $5.5
billion in additional worker income, and up to $20
billion in increased economic activity.
Environmental Law and Policy Center. 2001.
Repowering the Midwest: The Clean Energy Development
Plan for the Heartland. Chicago, IL. 139pp.
http://www.elpc.org/documents/RepoweringtheMidwest.pdf
This report is a blueprint for
producing economically robust and environmentally
sound electricity in the 21st century by comparing
two possible energy futures for the Midwest - one in
which the region continues to rely on conventional,
or business-as-usual technologies, and a second in
which the Midwest unleashes its homegrown clean
energy development potential. This report also
quantifies the region's untapped energy efficiency
and renewable resources and lays out strategies,
policies and practices to advance a cleaner
electricity future from the industrial Midwest
across to the Great Plains.
This report answers three questions with
respect to wind energy in Québec:
- What is the potential of wind energy in
Québec?
- What would the cost price of wind energy
be?
- What would be the economic benefits of a
1,000 MW and 4,000 MW wind energy development?
Munson, Dick. September 2005. An Energy Plan
for the Great Lakes. Northeast-Midwest
Institute. 14pp.
http://www.nemw.org/Great%20Lakes%20energy.pdf
This document outlines how Great
Lakes states and cities could lead the
nation in overcoming legislative and regulatory
barriers and enable the region to become the center
of power innovation.
Musial W. and S. Butterfield. June 2004. Future
for Offshore Wind Energy in the United States.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 16pp.
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/36313.pdf
This paper presents an overview of U.S.
coastal resources, explores promising deepwater wind
technology, and predicts long-term cost-of-energy
trends.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 1983.
Economic Analysis of Wind Turbines in DOE Region V
(Great Lakes): A Final Subcontract Report. Draft.
(No final version of this document is available
online.)
Owen, Robert H. July 2004. Final Report to
Wisconsin Focus on Energy on Lake Michigan Offshore
Wind Resource Assessment. Superior Safety and
Environmental Services, Inc.
http://www.focusonenergy.com/data/common/dmsFiles/W_RW_MKTG_LMWindAssessment.pdf
This report estimates the offshore wind
resource potentially available on Lake Michigan's
plateau at shallow water sites within several miles
of shore and further out
on the Mid-Lake Plateau east of Milwaukee.
Pryor, Scott, Mark Shahinian and Matt Stout.
April 2005. Offshore Wind Energy Development in
the Great Lakes: A Preliminary Briefing Paper for
the Michigan Renewable Energy Program.
University of Michigan. http://www.erb.umich.edu/Research/Student-Research/Michigan_Offshore_Wind.pdf
This briefing paper addresses several issues
with respect to offshore wind energy development in
the Great Lakes, including wind energy technology,
cost of wind energy, benefits of offshore wind and
regulatory considerations for offshore wind.
Rickerson, Wilson and Robert C. Grace. February
2007. The Debate over Fixed Price Incentives for
Renewable Electricity in Europe and the United
States: Fallout and Future Directions. A White Paper.
Prepared for the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
http://www.boell.org/docs/Rickerson_Grace_FINAL.pdf
This White Paper describes in detail the
relative merits of both renewable portfolio
standards (RPS) and feed-in tariffs (FIT) in the
U.S. and Europe. The paper describes existing RPS
and FIT policies and makes an argument for the
implementation of additional FIT policies in the
U.S. and Europe.
Starzinger, George and Matt Svrcek. September
2004. Wind Turbine Development: Location of
Manufacturing Activity. Renewable Energy Policy
Project.
http://www.repp.org/articles/static/1/binaries/WindLocator.pdf
This study shows Ohio ranking second among
all states in the potential to make wind turbines
and component parts. The report estimates nearly
12,000 new Ohio manufacturing jobs could result.
Effects on Wildlife
Howe, R.W. et al. 2002. Effects of wind
turbines on birds and bats in northeastern Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Public Service Corporation. 105pp.
(Description not available)
Illinois Department of Natural Resources. June
2007. The Possible Effects of Wind
Energy on Illinois Birds and Bats. Report of
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to
Governor Rod Blagojevich and the 95th Illinois
General Assembly. 20pp.
http://dnr.state.il.us/publications/pdf/00000544.pdf
This report to the Governor presents the main
point of concern with respect to the effects of wind
energy development on wildlife in Illinois. It
recommends that regulatory action for wildlife
protection not be taken until the impacts are
studied and better understood.
Johnson, Gregory D et al. Fall 2002.
Collision mortality of local and migrant birds at a
large-scale wind-power development on Buffalo Ridge,
Minnesota. Wildlife Society Bulletin; 30(3):
879-887.
This study assesses the effects of a
southwester Minnesota wind farm projects on birds
during its development from 1996 to 1999.
Mabee, Todd J. et al. March 2005. A Radar
and Visual Study of Nocturnal Bird and Bat Migration
at the Proposed Flat Rock Wind Power Project, New
York, Fall 2004. A report prepared for Atlantic
Renewable Energy Corporation.
http://www.powernaturally.org/publications/Flat%20Rock%20Fall%20Migration%20Study_Final%20Rpt_NEW1.pdf
This report presents the results of a radar
and visual study of bird and bat migration conducted
in 2004 at the proposed Flat Rock Wind Power project
in northern New York.
Osborn, Robert G et al. 1998. Bird flight
characteristics near wind turbines in Minnesota.
American Midland Naturalist; 139(1): 29-38.
This article estimates the threat posed by
the Buffalo Ridge Wind Resource Area to resident or
migrating birds.
Osborn, Robert G and Kenneth F Higgins. 2000.
Bird mortality associated with wind turbines at
the Buffalo Ridge Wind Resource Area, Minnesota.
American Midland Naturalist; 143(1): 41-52.
This study assesses the effects of a
southwester Minnesota wind farm projects on birds
and concludes that windmills do not appear to be
more detrimental to birds than other man-made
structures.
Environmental Planning,
Siting, and Permitting
This document reports the results of a Delphi
Inquiry into wind turbine siting issues conducted
for the Energy Office of Michigan. A Delphi inquiry
is an iterative series of open dialogs and surveys
that leads to a consensus of informed opinions.
Cuyahoga Regional Energy Development Task Force.
February 2007. Building a New Energy Future:
Recommendations for a Lake Erie Offshore Wind Energy
Demonstration Project and Research Center.
83pp.
http://development.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_development/en-us/windenergy_report.pdf
This document was released when Cuyahoga
County, Ohio, issued a national request for
qualifications seeking a Project Manager for the
completion of a feasibility study for the planning,
design, financing, construction and operation of a
freshwater offshore wind research/development
center, including a demonstration wind energy
project of between 5 to 20 megawatts located upon
Lake Erie in the vicinity of Downtown Cleveland.
This report presents the findings and
recommendations from a study conducted to determine
community response and land use compatibility of the
Noble Thumb Windpark in Michigan. The study the
residents' response to the changes that would occur
in the Ubly and Bingham Township soundscape after
installation of industrial scale wind turbines by
Noble Environmental Power LLC.
This document presents the guidelines that
have been developed by the Energy Office of Michigan
to assist local governments in the development of
siting requirements for wind energy systems.
Guidance, Institutional
Issues, and Standards
National Guidance for states, provinces
localities
Legal and regulatory issues
Safety issues
Standards and recommended practices
Adelaja, Soji and Yohannes G.Hailu. 2007.
Projected Impacts of Renewable Portfolio Standards
on Wind Industry Development in Michigan. Land
Policy Institute.
http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/modules.php?name=Pages&sp_id=295_ _
This report evaluates the economic impact of
wind industry development as the result of Michigan
adopting renewable portfolio standards.
Costanti, Mike and Peggy Beltrone. October 2006.
Wind Energy Guide for County Commissioners. U.S.
Department of Energy.
http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=New_Technical_Assistance&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=22028\\
This document is designed to provide county
commissioners, planners, and other local county
government officials with a practical overview of
information required to successfully implement
commercial wind energy projects in their county.
This handbook explains the options for
structuring and financing community-based wind power
projects.
Gipe, Paul and James Murphy. 2005. Ontario's
Landowner's Guide to Wind Energy. Ontario
Sustainable Energy Association. Toronto, ON. 40pp.
http://www.canwea.ca/images/uploads/File/Resources/OSEA-2005-r1.pdf
This guide provides Ontario landowners with
the necessary information when considering wind
power development on their properties.
Great Lakes Fishery Commission. September 2005.
Proceedings of Lakebed Alteration
Policy/Procedures Workshop. Ann Arbor, MI.
Sponsored by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, in
Cooperation with the Great Lakes Regional Office of
the International Joint Commission.
Proceedings of Lakebed Workshop.doc
This report considers the potential adverse
environmental impacts on the lakebed habitat of
lakebed alteration projects in the Great Lakes
basin, including wind power generating projects.
This document is a schematic representation of
the permitting process for large wind energy
conversion systems in Minnesota.
This handbook provides information about wind
as a resource for generating electricity, with
emphasis on Illinois as a potential host for
small-scale and large-scale projects. It addresses
how to assess the value of wind, the wind energy
options available for landowners and communities to
consider, and sources of financial assistance. Case
studies are included to illustrate what has been
done to develop this resource in Illinois and
neighboring states.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory
produced Small Wind Electric Systems Consumer's
Guides to help homeowners, ranchers, and small
businesses decide if wind energy will work for them.
The guides answer questions such as:
Is wind energy practical for me?
What size wind turbine do I need?
What are the basic parts of a small wind
electric system?
What do wind systems cost?
Where can I find installation and maintenance
support?
How much energy will my system generate?
Is there enough wind on my site?
How do I choose the best site for my wind
turbine?
Can I connect my system to the utility grid?
Can I go off grid?
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. January
2007. Small Wind Electric Systems: An Indiana
Consumer's Guide. U.S. Department of Energy.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/pdfs/small_wind/small_wind_in.pdf
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. January
2007. Small Wind Electric Systems: A Michigan
Consumer's Guide. U.S. Department of Energy.
http://michigan.gov/documents/CIS_EO_Small_Wind_Guide_124217_7.pdf
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. January
2007. Small Wind Electric Systems: A Minnesota
Consumer's Guide. U.S. Department of Energy.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/pdfs/small_wind/small_wind_mn.pdf
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. January
2007. Small Wind Electric Systems: A New York
Consumer's Guide. U.S. Department of Energy.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/pdfs/small_wind/small_wind_ny.pdf
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. January
2007. Small Wind Electric Systems: An Ohio
Consumer's Guide. U.S. Department of Energy.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/pdfs/small_wind/small_wind_oh.pdf
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. January
2007. Small Wind Electric Systems: A
Pennsylvania Consumer's Guide. U.S. Department
of Energy.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/pdfs/small_wind/small_wind_pa.pdf
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. January
2007. Small Wind Electric Systems: A Wisconsin
Consumer's Guide. U.S. Department of Energy.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/pdfs/small_wind/small_wind_wi.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Energy. Infosheet on
Wind Energy.
http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/english/pdf/conservation/2131027_windturbines.pdf
Schafer, Chris A. January 2006. Legal Framework
Pertaining to Lakebed Alterations. Thomas M. Cooley
Law School. Lansing, Michigan.
Legal Framework.pdf
This document provides an overview of the
existing legal framework pertaining to lakebed
alterations by analyzing various common law and
statutory approaches for regulating such structures
and projects, and identifying commonalities and
differences between the U. S. and Canada federal
authorities, among the Great Lakes states and the
province of Ontario.
Wind Energy Resources
Extent and location of the wind resource
(capacity)
Wind prospecting
This Wind Energy Atlas web site aims at
developing new meteorological tools to be used by
Canada's wind energy industry. It offers the
possibility to browse through the results of the
numerical simulations that were run on all of Canada
in order to determine its wind energy potential.
Hersey, Tom. November 2005. Erie
County Shoreline Wind Study: Final Report.
Erie County Department of Environment and Planning,
NY. 51pp.
http://www.greengold.org/wind/documents/104.pdf
This study assesses the potential for wind
power generation along the Erie County shoreline
through accurate wind speed measurements and
identifies economic prospects for distributing wind
generated power in Western New York.
Hingten, John S. 2003. Offshore Wind Farms
in the Western Great Lakes: An Interdisciplinary
Analysis of their Potential. Master's Thesis,
University of Madison-Wisconsin.
http://www.mrec.org/Wind_Energy/Hingtgen%20Wind%20Thesis%2004.pdf
This thesis is an interdisciplinary study of
the potential of offshore wind farms in the
western Great Lakes. It includes an opinion survey
of representatives of the public, an
analysis of potential offshore sites, an estimate of
the potential power and energy available, an
extensive review of existing European experience,
and the discovery of locally relevant information.
Land Policy Institute. The Land Policy
Institute Wind Prospecting Tool Prototype.
Michigan State University, Land Policy Institute.
http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/wpt/WPT_summary.pdf
This document presents the Wind Prospecting
Tool developed by the Land Policy Institute for the
state of Michigan, and designed to help the wind
energy industry identify suitable areas for
development.
Lopes, Sandra L. 2004. Winds of change:
renewable energy and the location of wind turbines
in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Master's
thesis, York University.
(Description not available)
Meishen Li and Xianguo Li. 2005.
Investigation of wind characteristics and assessment
of wind energy potential for Waterloo region, Canada.
Energy Conversion and Management;46(18-19):
3014-3033.
This study examines the wind characteristics
for the Waterloo region in Canada based on a data
source measured at an elevation 10 m above the
ground level over a 5-year period (1999-2003) with
the emphasis on the suitability for wind energy
technology applications.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 2006.
Low Wind Speed Technology Phase II: Developing
Techniques to Evaluate the Designs and Operating
Environments of Offshore Wind Turbines in the
Mid-Atlantic and Lower Great Lakes Regions.
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy06osti/37940.pdf
This fact sheet describes a subcontract with
AWS Truewind, LLC to study offshore wind and wave
environments of the Atlantic and lower Great Lakes
regions by estimating available wind power resource.
This report argues that no other region in
the Midwest has the unique combination of advantages
that Northeast Wisconsin has for the growing wind
energy industry: Strong manufacturing potential,
nearby access to some of the nation's best wind
resources, strong existing markets and excellent
workforce and transportation assets.
Ontario Wind Power Task Force. 2001_. Harnessing
wind power in Ontario: Ontario Wind Power Task Force
Final Report and Recommendations: Presented to the
Ontario Government_. The Task Force.
http://www.canwea.ca/images/uploads/File/Resources/OntarioWindPowerTaskForceReport.pdf
This report explores the recommendations of
the Ontario Wind Power Task Force after it conducted
extensive research exploring the potential for
development of wind power as a significant renewable
energy source in Ontario.
Wind Technology
Turbine design, development and testing
This report summarizes existing experiences
in wind energy production in cold climates.
Laakso, T. et al. 2005. Expert Group Study
on Wind Energy Projects in Cold Climates. IEA
Wind Annex XIX, 37 pp.
http://arcticwind.vtt.fi/reports/recommendations.pdf
This report includes recommendations that are
intended to guide wind energy developers to a
position where uncertainties related to cold climate
issues are reduced to a minimum.
Additional Resources
This document presents the platform adopted
at the Midwestern Energy Security and Climate
Stewardship Summit and outlines a strategic
blueprint and action plan to guide future
development of the Midwest's energy economy.
This document presents the accord adopted at
the Midwestern Energy Security and Climate
Stewardship Summit with respect to greenhouse gas.
This web site offers a list of selected NREL
publications on wind energy, sorted by topic.
This report presentsBritish Columbia's scope of
work on the proposed offshore wind farm, in the
Pacific Ocean, nearQueen Charlotte Islands.
This Memorandum of Understanding presents the
agreement to implement the Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative.
This document provides an overview of RGGI CO2
Budget Trading Program.
This report provides an understanding of
where the industry stands today, how it got there,
and where it is going.
This web site provides information on wind
energy activities and publications, by state.
This web site provides a comprehensive
bibliography of books, articles, documents and other
literature on wind energy - compiled by the U.S.
Department of Energy.
Welcome
to the