Capturing the wind for power was first realized back in 1888 when local inventor Charles F. Brush built a wind turbine out of wood behind his Euclid Avenue mansion.
In the 1970s, the federal government initiated a wind power program, and Cleveland-based NASA Glenn Research Center developed a two-blade wind turbine with the help of GE and Boeing. The Mod-5B was an all-steel, 3.2 Megawatt turbine with a wingspan the width of a football field (it was used in Hawaii from 1981 to 1986 when gas prices plummeted from $93 to $30 per barrel).
Flash forward to September 26, 2003 as the first utility-scale wind turbines in Ohio were installed near Bowling Green. That effort led to the creation of the Ohio Wind Working Group (OWWG), 19 organizations working on the creation of a plan to implement wind power on a wide scale in Ohio.
How did Bowling Green do it?
In the late nineties, Bowling Green’s Utilities Department established a green power pricing program that set aside money to pay for future wind and solar development, including further testing of the region’s wind resources. When wind resources proved to be sufficient, Bowling Green led a coalition of ten municipal utilities which issued bonds to finance the wind farm’s construction. The wind farm consists of four 1.8 MW towers, and produces enough electricity to power a village of 1,560 homes.
Wind in Ohio
Ohio has more wind potential than Pennsylvania, claims OWWG, but "with proactive wind energy policies at the state level, PA has 129 MW of installed wind projects along with a planned 210 MW of wind farms." Ohio has dozens of "small wind" projects — mostly enough to power a farm house — but after Bowling Green's wind farm, the 225 kW wind turbine at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland is the state's next largest.
Building up speed
In 2004, Green Energy Ohio produced its interactive map charting the areas of the state where wind is ripe for more turbines. The non-profit group, with the city of Cleveland, also installed a wind monitoring tower out on Lake Erie, and in May 2005 started recording wind data to confirm long-held suspicions that the lake has huge potential for wind power production (GEO will study the wind and weather for another year for feasibility of building wind turbines several miles offshore).
Next steps: A roadmap
On June 15, 2006 the OWWG was presented a report from three University of Toledo Engineering professors that stated the challenges and opportunities to developing a wind economy in Ohio had been clearly identified. The report concludes that a lack of consistent incentives and sustained government leadership has deterred investment and scale up of wind energy manufacturing and supply chain. Also, getting the large utility companies to the table and working out key issues such as transmission grid compatibility is still a big issue. Despite the challenges, those working to commercialize the wind feel they are closer than ever to achieving growth.
Share your thoughts on the potential (and overcoming the obstacles) for wind power in Ohio.
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Updates
February 2010
Released in April of 2009, “the Great Lakes Wind Energy Center Feasibility Study indicates that it is feasible to develop an offshore demonstration wind turbine project in Lake Erie. Cuyahoga County and the Great Lakes Energy Task Force will utilize the Feasibility Study to establish a wind-energy cluster for Northern Ohio.” The demonstration project, a 20 MW project comprised of eight 2.5 MW turbines, will be the first of several phases for this project.
In December of 2009 the Task Force teamed up with NorTech to develop the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo), “a key entity that wind energy developers can work with to secure things such as submerged-land leases in Lake Erie.” NorTech is committed to developing a business plan for LEEDCo by June 2010, along with funding support.
Original LEEDCo partners include:
- Cuyahoga County
- The Cleveland Foundation
- NorTech
- The City of Cleveland
- Lorain County
The Outreach Committee of the Task Force is currently working to engage Lake and Ashtabula Counties.
By the end of this year the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force hopes to have in place all of the permitting necessary to begin developing offshore wind in Lake Erie.
The final avian risk assessment study required by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will begin around the first of April and end after the fall migration.
Many of the site prep activities and pre-engineering tasks are also scheduled for this year. An RFP for developers will be announced soon. The 3 goals of this endeavor come down to:
- The quality of the technology
- Cost efficient electricity
- Economic development
MOU’s and confidentiality agreements have been signed with many worldwide turbine manufacturers. The Task Force is looking at the quality and technology of the turbine design, and the manufacturer’s growth plans into the US.
Januray 16, 2008—Case Western Reserve University's new Great Lakes Institute for Energy Innovation was awarded a $3.6 million grant from The Cleveland Foundation. It will support new faculty in the school of engineering, research on fuel cells and a fresh water wind farm in Lake Erie.
June 10, 2007—Plain Dealer front page article states: "Mittal Steel USA, which leases the land to the windmill developers in Lackawanna (New York) is exploring a similar project for vacant property above its plant on the Cuyahoga River. The turbines could spur economic development with the promise of cheap energy."
April 2007—Data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows Ohio's untapped wind power is five times greater than FirstEnergy's coal-powered plants.
Cuyahoga County Energy Task Force makes Lake Erie wind farm study top priority.
Cleveland State University has an earmark in the 2007 state budget for $400,000 to support the installation on campus of a new kind of wind turbine being developed locally (12-9-06).
Under the Ohio Anemometer Loan Program, qualified applicants can borrow all the equipment necessary to conduct a wind study, including a temporary meteorological tower, data logger and instrumentation. Study services, such as site inspection, equipment installation, data validation and program management will be provided at no cost through Green Energy Ohio's ongoing wind resource assessment program, Monitoring Ohio Wind (MOHW).
At the Cleveland City Council Utilities Committee hearing November 30 to consider advanced energy rules at Cleveland Public Power, councilman Mike Polensik reported that Jergens CEO Jack Schron, Jr. wants to build a wind turbine. Located in the Collinwood area, Jergens is "in a wind corridor," Polensik added. Schron wants to connect with the Cleveland Food Bank and the city on the proposal. City Sustainability Programs Manager Andrew Watterson said he will pursue the conversation.
"Harnessing Lake Erie's Wind Power," WCPN's Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports on wind manufacturing efforts for Ohio (12-5-06).
"Pros and cons of off-shore wind farm," WCPN's Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports that Lake Erie offers right combination of conditions for wind farm.
Steel mill converts to wind tower manufacturer in Manitowoc, WI
Resources
Ohio Wind Working Group
Great Lakes Wind Network of WIRE-Net
Green Energy Ohio's wind page
Wind Power in Ohio—Ohio Department of Development
Small Wind in Ohio
Global Wind 2005 Report (Global Wind Energy Council)
Windustrious Cleveland
WindWorks public art project
