Renewable energy must be a key pillar of Michigan's energy strategy going forward into the 21st Century. Here at the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, we see the benefits of renewable energy projects up close.
As a partnership between Grand Valley State University, private businesses and state government, MAREC has been involved with many projects that have or could come to western Michigan, from methane digesters that convert farm waste to energy, such as the up-and-running den Dulk farm in Ravenna, to wind turbines that can harvest our abundant wind in western Michigan and turn it into clean electricity.
The benefits of renewable energy are well known by now, from its role in reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions to creating good-paying local jobs in manufacturing and much more. In the long term, renewable energy is also crucial to diversifying our electricity supply and reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels such as coal, oil and uranium, giving us a truly diversified energy portfolio.
MAREC also has seen another upside to renewable energy. Renewable energy projects benefit farm families, the communities in which they live and their quality of life.
Take the den Dulk dairy farm, 30 miles north of Grand Rapids. The farm turns 30,000 gallons of waste every day — one-third of its total — into electricity and heat. By turning manure into usable methane using natural microbial activities at its
biodigester, the farm is keeping a large amount of waste out of our land, air and water and protecting the environment. Biodigesters, such as the one at den Dulk, could be scaled up to sell electricity to consumers statewide, which will benefit citizens and Michigan farms.
Western Michigan also has something aside from dairy farms. We have wind — a lot of it. Virtually all along the west coast, winds of Class 4 and 5 or better have been consistently recorded, which is more than enough to generate electricity. Potentially, the entire length of western Michigan could be the leading edge of the new wind sector.
Wind turbines also are putting money into the pockets of farmers. After all, turbines are being built on farms and rural land. Long-term leases or electricity royalties help supplement the incomes of farm families, many of whom are working harder than ever to compete in today's volatile economy. In addition, many farmers often have said that renewable energy is the right thing to do because it safeguards the land and water for future generations to enjoy.
The fact is that without a Renewable Portfolio Standard, Michigan's fullest potential remains unfulfilled because many projects — wind, biodigesters, solar, biomass and more — are not being built.
Michigan is working hard to encourage more biodigester projects to be built on our farms. So far, three are operational, including den Dulk, and each costs millions to build. An RPS with favorable feed-in tariffs would allow Michigan farm owners to build larger digester plant to produce megawatts of power. Also, an RPS can help lower the expense of building these digesters by attracting investments and creating a market for the electricity they generate.
And with a strong RPS, Michigan could potentially build hundreds more wind turbines beyond the 30-plus already up and running, putting Grand Rapids-area manufacturers such as Cascade Engineering to work and pumping much-needed new income and revenue into farm and rural communities.
The House of Representatives has taken a first step toward enacting an RPS. Now it's up to the Senate.
Those new wind turbines and methane digesters could be built here in western Michigan. With a strong, robust RPS, Michigan can roll out the welcome mat for new projects, creating jobs and strengthening farm families and their communities.
