Michigan’s Huron county to have 328 wind turbines by summer 2014 - report

Oct 14, 2013 - Michigan’s Huron County is set to see the number of its wind turbines increase more than twofold next summer to 328 units from 160 pieces for 2012, the Huron Daily Tribune said Friday, citing the head of the county’s Building and Zoning Office.

The news service quoted Jeff Smith as saying that in 2014, a total of 328 wind turbine should be installed in the county based on data for already approved projects and those in construction. He added that 98 turbines are currently being installed in the county.

The two stages of the Pheasant Run project, which will consist of 88 units, will account for most of the machines in the area. The wind park is being constructed by US-based DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE).

Huron county is regarded as the main wind energy zone in Michigan, accounting for 542.4 MW of the state’s total power capacity, Smith said. The state, however, lags behind many other states in the percentage of electricity produced by wind parks. According to data of the US Department of Energy (DOE), South Dakota and Kansas generate 20% of their total electricity mix from wind power. Michigan had over 980 MW of wind farms in 2012, data of the American Wind Energy Association shows. Utilities in the state are on track to meet the requirements of the local government, which stipulate that electric providers should source from renewables no less than 10% of their power by 2015, the daily cited Smith as saying.

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