The Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force believes Northeast Ohio has the potential to become a world leader in the offshore wind industry. This rapidly growing multi-billion dollar industry would bring green energy, new business and thousands of manufacturing jobs to the area.  

World's First Fresh Water Off-shore Wind Turbine Project
We are more than halfway through a feasibility study on building the world's first offshore wind turbine in a true fresh water environment, laying the groundwork for future development of the Great Lakes region.  

We hired a subsidiary of the international wind development company juwi GmbH—known locally as JW Great Lakes Wind LLC (JWGL)—to conduct the feasibility study. The study will determine whether to move forward on building a Pilot Wind Project that would consist of 2 to 10 wind turbines in Lake Erie and an affiliated Applied Research and Development Center.

JWGL, the project manager for the feasibility study, assembled a team of world-class consultants who are collectively examining the geological, ecological, historical, legal, social and financial feasibility of building wind turbines in Lake Erie, approximately three to five miles from downtown Cleveland.

The Pilot Wind Project's purpose is to evaluate the environmental and technical issues associated with harnessing wind energy in the Great Lakes and also help establish the necessary legal/regulatory guidelines to foster further development of offshore wind technology in the Great Lakes. In addition, the Pilot will assess the feasibility of an Applied Research and Development Center for wind power, which would include a Test Center and a Certification Center to further propel innovation in the wind industry.

While steadily moving forward on the feasibility study, we are collaborating with some of the most important organizations in Northeast Ohio. Along with Cuyahoga County, we have many partners contributing to the Pilot Wind Project including but not limited to the Cleveland Foundation, Case Western Reserve University's Great Lakes Institute for Energy Innovation, the NASA Glenn Research Center, University of Toledo and other Ohio universities through the University Clean Energy Alliance of Ohio and the City of Cleveland.

Northeast Ohio Poised to Capitalize on Wind
Wind is an everlasting source of clean energy, making it an attractive alternative as energy prices and concerns about global climate change increase. President-elect Barack Obama plans to invest $150 billion in alternative energy over the next 10 years, or $15 billion per year. He also wants to greatly reduce or eliminate dependence on Middle East oil within 10 years and ensure that 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012. This translates into enormous demand and growth for the wind industry in the U.S. over the next 20 years.  

Preliminary research shows our region is well positioned to benefit from wind energy. Lake Erie has strong, consistent winds. Compared to other Great Lakes, the shallower waters of Lake Erie are more conducive for the development of large turbines. Accessible land and maritime shipping/transportation routes allow transport of the massive turbine components. Additionally, more than 75 manufacturing companies in Northeast Ohio already supply wind turbine components to the wind industry.

Exploring wind turbines offshore makes sense for many reasons. Offshore wind turbines produce more electricity than inland wind turbines. While wind turbines themselves take up less than an acre per foundation, a wind farm can require a great deal of space, making the open water ideal for large-scale development. Unlike onshore wind resources, offshore locations are often located near cities and other industrial load centers where power will be consumed. This requires less transmission distance and, therefore, reduced electrical losses. Finally, we'll be confronted with the reality of land becoming scarce as more onshore wind farms are developed. We want to be ahead of the curve to gain a hold on the future market for offshore wind technology.  

We believe that Northeast Ohio has the opportunity to become a North American hub for the wind manufacturing sector and be a key supplier to others that will follow our lead in utilizing clean wind energy. It's our belief that as this hub emerges, other turbine and component manufacturers will locate to our region, revitalizing the economy and changing our image to the green city by the blue lake.