April is a month that folks seem to think about more wisely using resources. This week's Enterprise has a nice feature on community power consultant and Leelanau resident Steve Smiley.
Smiley’s home serves as a case study for the Michigan Energy Office, Department of Labor & Economic Growth and is an example of energy (and fuel) savings.
...Smiley said he hopes his home’s carbon-neutral energy consumption will become more the rule than the exception. His vision for Leelanau County includes the creation of shared utilities (heat, water, electricity) which are powered by natural fuel from the sun and wind and renewable sources such as trees, which absorb carbon.
You can see a case study on Smiley's home at the Energy Office case studies page and read Renewable energy powers home of county couple in the Leelanau Enterprise.
The photo is Windmill by j lakechick and seeing it made me think about how once necessity forced folks to take advantage of the energies inherent in nature as a matter of course. Funny how we appear to be returning to that point.
The Record-Eagle reports that plans for a wind farm in Centerville Township are on hold until at least next year while the township drafts a zoning ordinance to regulate commercial windmills. Industrial wind company Noble Environmental Power has agreed to not submit a formal application until the wind energy ordinance is completed. According to the story:
The Connecticut-based company, which specializes in wind energy, earlier this year identified about 8,000 acres of land along County Road 645 north of Cedar as suitable for a cluster of wind turbines that each would stand nearly 400 feet tall and could generate up to 1.5 megawatts of power.
Read Proposed wind farm on hold in the Traverse City Record-Eagle and get more information about wind power in Michigan at Absolute Michigan keyword "wind energy".
photo credit: Wind Turbines by Matt LyonsÂ
The TC Record-Eagle reports that Centerville Township planning commissioners will meet April 4 to begin work on a zoning ordinance to regulate commercial windmills and address public concerns about height, noise, property setbacks and environmental impact.
Noble Environmental Power, a Connecticut-based company that specializes in wind energy, identified about 8,000 acres of land along County Road 645 as suitable for between 40 and 60 turbines. Each 390-foot turbine could generate up to 1.5 megawatts of power.
Read Harnessing Wind Energy in the Traverse City Record-Eagle
