Operations at a 2,000-acre wind farm in Cadillac, Mich., are meeting the electricity demands of roughly 2,000 homes, Michigan utility Detroit Edison said.
Anthony Earley, chairman at Detroit Edison’s parent company DTE Energy, said the wind farm fit within Michigan’s vision for a clean energy future.
“We’re focused on finding clean, cost-effective new sources of energy,” he said.
The Cadillac wind farm is the first for Michigan under a state energy reform law that calls for 10 percent of the utility’s power generation to come from renewable resources by 2015.
Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a package of energy deals in October that requires the state to look to green energy alternatives.
Heritage Sustainable Energy, based in Traverse City, Mich., installed seven wind turbines on the 2,000-acre site.
Detroit Edison said it acquired the rights to 75,000 acres of land to build additional wind farms in eastern Michigan. The utility said it expects to add 1,200 megawatts of clean energy to its portfolio in order to meet state regulations.
The company said two pilot solar energy projects could produce 20 MW of power in the future.
