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Alternative energy may fuel economy
12/17/2007
Holland Sentinel
BY ANDREA GOODELL
In the next three to five years, wind and other renewable energy production could bring as many as 4,250 jobs and more than $800 million in investments to the area, but the time to act is now, researchers said in a report released Tuesday.
It would start with manufacturers making parts for wind turbines.
"There's a huge demand for these manufactured parts right now that's going unmet," said Randy Thelen, president of Zeeland-based Lakeshore Advantage. "Hopefully, this study helps our existing companies identify that market more clearly."
West Michigan Strategic Alliance and The Right Place Inc., both of Grand Rapids, sponsored the report and revealed it to business and community representatives Tuesday at a conference in Muskegon.
"Utility-scale wind turbines are not very complex, but there's a lot of components in them," NextEnergy Director of Industry Services Dan Randomski said.
By adding wind turbine rotors, bearings, gear boxes or cooling systems to their factory lines, local manufacturers can get into a market with a two-year backorder, Thelen said.
Called the Alternative and Renewable Energy Cluster Analysis, its authors brought together national and local information about the economic future of alternative energy production and explores a regional approach to an alternative energy economy in West Michigan.
The building where they met -- Grand Valley State University's Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center -- is certified green. The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED certification means the building reduces energy and waste output and its design is intended to create a healthier and safer building. With micro-turbines, wind turbines, a fuel cell and solar panels, the building is its own self-contained alternative energy source.
"It's not free, but it's better than the heat going up the stack," said George Cutro, systems engineering manager for the facility, dubbed the MAREC by university officials.Several bills with renewable portfolio standards attached are working their way through Michigan House and Senate committees. The standards would require an energy company to get a specific percentage of its energy come from renewable sources.
"If we want to stimulate economic development in Michigan, we have to be sensitive to the cost to produce energy," said State Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, who attended the conference. "We also have to be sure that if renewable energies are going to be part of the mix that they're affordable."
Holland and Zeeland public works boards are working toward adding green sources to their energy portfolios, officials said.
"If we wait for the crisis to occur it'll be too late," the study's principle author Rich Polich said. "If you consider how long it takes to build this infrastructure, we need to move now."
On the Web
The report is scheduled tobe online todayat www.wm-alliance. org.
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