Grand Rapids plan for wind turbines at water plant

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Grand Rapids plan for wind turbines at water plant faces federal, Grand Haven Township scrutiny
By Jim Harger | The Grand Rapids Press
October 29, 2009, 5:36AM

AP PhotoThe local utility in Atlantic City, N.J., operates a wind farm with five windmills that generate 7.5 megawatts, which powers a wastewater treatment plant, with surplus energy going to the area power grid. Grand Rapids officials hope to harness wind power for the city's water plant.GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP — Will the wind someday carry water from Lake Michigan to Grand Rapids water customers?

It will if Grand Rapids officials put together a $15 million proposal to build two wind turbines on land the city owns next door to its Lake Michigan Water Filtration Plant.

The turbines could generate enough electricity to help power the 15 giant pumps that deliver an average of 40 million gallons of Lake Michigan water to 300,000 customers in Grand Rapids and its suburbs each day.

“The intent is to provide onsite energy production, so we can reduce our cost of electricity at the lake,” said Haris Alibasic, the city’s sustainability coordinator.

The water filtration plant consumes about 18 million kilowatts a year, almost 17 percent of the city’s electrical bill, Alibasic said. Wind power and a small solar power unit at the plant could save the city $565,000 a year, he estimated.

To make it happen, the city and its partner, Rockford Berge, have to clear several hurdles on the local and federal level.

One hurdle will be getting Grand Haven Township to allow wind turbines on the 79 acres Grand Rapids owns south of the filtration plant it has operated on Lake Michigan Drive since 1963.

The township allows small and medium-sized wind turbines for residential and commercial uses, Township Community Development Director Patrick Waterman said.

But the proposal to install two turbines up to 300 feet tall will require an ordinance amendment and could be unpopular with those who own cottages nearby.

“What we’re doing right now is collecting information,” Waterman said.

He scheduled a Nov. 30 public forum to answer concerns and questions neighbors may have.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there about this,” Waterman said. “We’re trying to give residents and property owners an opportunity to learn about this before we go through the formal procedure of amending the ordinance.”

Another hurdle will be getting the U.S. Department of Energy to approve a $9.95 million grant request for the project. The request was submitted this fall through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The request to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy promises to reduce Michigan’s dependence on out-of-state coal and help meet the city’s goal of purchasing all of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

If the grant is approved, the city will partner with Rockford Berge and borrow another $4.8 million to build the turbines, generators and solar collectors on the roof of the filtration plant, according to the grant application.

Rockford Berge is a wind farm-developer created in March by Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction and Spain-based Berge Logistica Energetica.

Company principal Roger Rehkopf said the joint venture has several projects involving Grand Rapids Community College and Hope College. They also are working with Grand Valley State University to build an off-shore station to measure wind.

Another hurdle for the city will be getting the results of a year-long test to see how much wind power can be generated on the 79-acre site, half a mile from Lake Michigan. Tests for small wind turbines indicated it will be a good site, but more comprehensive analysis is needed, Rehkopf said.

“It’s not just how much wind, it’s the quality of the wind,” he said.

The tests will determine the quantity and density of wind above the treeline on the site.

“We think it will be very successful. There’s been a lot of wind modeling done on Lake Michigan already,” Rehkopf said. “The test data is how you determine the size and correct wind turbine you have to buy.”

If the project clears those hurdles, construction could begin in 2011, Alibasic said.

“Everything will be ready, if the wind study data shows we can do it,” Alibasic said. “This is a really exciting opportunity for the city.”

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