Ideas that work have a way of recycling in and out of our lives. There was a time when the picture of a working farm meant the sure sight of a windmill. Using the power of the wind to create energy isn’t a new idea, by any means, but it is a good idea – and it’s back.

At last week’s Board of Commissioner’s meeting, Planning & Environment Director Tony VanderWorp reported to the Board on some of the first big steps towards the possible use of wind power for energy in Washtenaw County. ( Please see the News Release sent out on Friday).

The Board passed a resolution in April of last year directing Planning and Environment to test the wind resources in the County and examine the feasibility of providing wind-generated electricity for our residents and businesses.

Tony and Ann Arbor Mayor John Heiftje have been out front on this idea, with long- time support from Commissioner Jeff Irwin. We’re collaborating with the City of Ann Arbor and faculty from the University of Michigan to hire North Coast Wind & Power consultants to assist in figuring out just how feasible wind energy might be here in Washtenaw County.

During the first phase of testing, one to three 70 –100 meter meteorological towers will be erected at strategic locations around the County to study the characteristics of the wind resource for a period of 12-18 months.  Professor Gerald Keeler of the University of Michigan Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences will teach a class that will help collect and analyze the data from those test sites. The first tower is scheduled to go up in late spring of this year.

Bob's Update" is a weekly message to Washtenaw County employees from County Administrator Bob Guenzel.  eWashtenaw publishes these columns when they are deemed timely and useful to the wider community.  Please contact Administrator Guenzel with your comments.

Depending on the results of the wind study, a second phase of the project will mean actual facilitation of wind power in the County.  If we get that far, generating energy from the wind could take on a number of different looks. Wind generation facilities could include the big wind farm scale projects with those large utility-scale turbines to generate power and distribute it through the electrical grid, or it could be just the small-scale, on-site wind turbines that help power individual homes, businesses and farms.

We won’t know much until this first phase, the testing phase, concludes. Like the weather in general, the wind can be unpredictable, varying from place to place, and from moment to moment. Because it’s invisible it is not easily measured without special instruments.

But you have to be excited by the possibility of being able to create clean, renewable energy. Tony and his staff have developed a new web site that will keep us updated on the project.

I think the collaboration with Ann Arbor and with the U of M is a terrific example of Guiding Principle 7 and our shared commitment to developing alternative sources of energy hits just about all of the other six.

It’s important news about an important step into the future of Washtenaw County.

‘Hope it’s a great week.

Bob