BRECKENRIDGE — No one will mistake these miles and miles of flat farmland for the Thumb or the shores of Lake Michigan. But here in the middle of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, where the wind happens to blow just right, the state's largest wind farm is starting to take shape amid fields of corn, beans and sugar beets.
In just a few weeks, enormous steel towers, fiberglass blades, gearboxes and other parts that go into 464-foot-tall wind turbines will be arriving from around the country. About 150 construction workers will begin building the first of 133 wind turbines at the new Invenergy wind farm in the northeast corner of Gratiot County, west of Saginaw.
"We kind of compare it to when the railroad came through in the 1800s," said Jeff Ostrander, Breckenridge village manager. "It's new. It's different. It's interesting."
The wind farm represents a major boost for the development of wind energy in Michigan, which has been slower than many other states to adopt this form of renewable power.
Starting early next year, the Invenergy farm will produce 200 megawatts of electricity, which can power more than 50,000 homes. Michigan's other wind farms currently generate only 164 megawatts of electricity combined, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
But don't expect neat rows of turbines stretching across the landscape. Instead, the 133 turbines will be scattered across farms in four townships, with a heavier concentration in Bethany and Wheeler.
"I think they look kind of neat," said Kent Humm, a Breckenridge resident whose three farms will be getting four turbines. "It's going to change the landscape, that's for sure."
Wind farm may be cash crop for Gratiot County farmers
BRECKENRIDGE — After 180 years of economic ups and downs, one of the most agricultural counties in Michigan is on the verge of hitting a 21st-Century jackpot, thanks to Mother Nature.
Gratiot County is home to what will be the state's largest wind farm when it comes on line early next year. Workers have begun pouring the concrete foundations for 133 wind turbines, a significant increase from the 103 turbines currently operating in Michigan.
The project could be just the beginning of a boom in wind energy development for the county, similar to what is occurring in the Thumb and many other parts of the country. Chicago-based Invenergy, the developer of the wind farm, has been talking to utilities about significantly expanding it. And other developers have obtained permits to construct two more wind farms in the county.
If all these plans go through, hundreds of wind turbines would be installed at farms throughout much of the area, generating millions of dollars in lease payments and tax revenues for landowners, the county, its townships and its schools.
Ironically, the electricity generated won't be used by local residents but will instead flow to more populous southeast Michigan. But that makes little difference to the farmers in Gratiot County, one of a number of communities nationwide that are embracing wind farms as a way to boost their economies.
"We have worked hard to reinvent ourselves," said Donald Schurr, president of Greater Gratiot Development, the county's economic development organization. "This is a pretty good cash crop for farmers."
He said the Invenergy wind farm's economic benefits are comparable to having a new factory with 50 well-paying jobs. According to county estimates, the wind farm will fork over $50 million in total taxes over the next 20 years as well as $2 million in annual lease payments to more than 240 property owners."It will certainly be our saving grace," said Nicole Frost, Gratiot County administrator. "We're thrilled that we have a shot at bringing even more in."
She noted that the wind farm will pay more taxes in its first full year of operation than the county's 10 biggest taxpayers combined.
Though farming has always been the county's lifeblood, the area has struggled to attract and retain other industries.
An oil refinery and factories that built mobile homes and auto parts have come and gone. In May, 9.7% of the county's more than 42,000 residents were unemployed.
Gratiot County is attracting wind developers for a number of reasons.
Despite being landlocked, the area has plenty of strong, consistent winds, thanks in part to its flat terrain and few trees.
Residents and officials from the county and its 16 townships also created and passed a county-wide zoning ordinance for the development of wind farms.
That eliminated the need for each township to establish its own rules, saving developers time and money.
And unlike the Thumb, transmission lines in the area have plenty of capacity to carry electricity from the county to southeast Michigan.
"It's a good area to build," said Kevin Parzyck, vice president of development for Invenergy's central region.
In other parts of the state, some Michiganders are fighting the installation of wind turbines, which they fear will reduce their property values, threaten wildlife and harm their health and quality of life.
But in Gratiot County, Invenergy has enjoyed strong support for its wind farm. Some county residents even recall the days when every farm had a windmill.
"It seems logical to have the turbines here," said Kent Humm, a 37-year-old farmer whose three farms in Bethany and Wheeler townships will be getting four wind turbines. "The more, the merrier."
Brent Skinner, president of the Gratiot County Farm Bureau, said that his members' biggest concern was making sure their properties were covered by the leases and that they understood what was in the agreements. "We're happy to have growth in Gratiot County any way we can get," Skinner said.
Invenergy would not disclose the cost of the wind farm, which will employ 15 technicians in Breckenridge. Detroit Edison, an electric utility, is buying all the power from the wind farm for the next 20 years and owns 64 of the 133 turbines.
"We really love working here in Gratiot County," Parzyck said. "We have not really run into any opposition."
Support has been widespread because Lowell-based Wind Resource, the wind farm's initial developer and a consultant on the project, crafted an easement agreement that will pay landowners a set amount of money per acre, even those that will not have any turbines on their property.
And early in the development process, Wind Resource and Invenergy tried to be as open as possible about their plans, holding dozens of public meetings around the county in addition to chatting with farmers at their kitchen tables.
"Everybody counts. No one is excluded," said Richard Vander Veen III, president of Wind Resource, which sold the wind farm's leases and other assets to Invenergy in July 2009. "By doing that, it's really been a process of bringing the community together."
