Is Wind Energy Feasible in the U.P.?

And on a day of high wind warnings, a grant materializes to study wind power.

The Superior Watershed Partnership is teaming up with Northern Michigan University students to see how feasible wind energy would be here.

The Partnership has won a $36,000 grant from the Michigan Coastal Management Program.

The money will pay for a conservation model for potential wind power development in the U.P.

Most wind turbines are built on level, flat terrain.

Watershed Partnership executive director Carl Lindquist says that’s not possible here with the hilly, rocky soil we have.

He says if we’re going to invest in wind turbines, there are engineering and environmental issues that would have to be worked around and the model will be an attempt to address those.

The model will consider land the Marquette Board of Light and Power owns between the Dead River and Lake Superior.

Mike Martin, an assistant professor of engineering technology, says NMU students have been bringing up several things about the land they’d like to study.

The work won’t just benefit Marquette.

Any U.P. community will be able to see what they find.

This should help other areas decide whether expanded wind energy may be right for them.