Great Lakes Wind Energy Project Taking Off
A LEEDCo official has informed 'The News-Herald' that more than 3,000 people in Northeast Ohio so far have signed up to pledge to buy a portion of their future electricity needs from offshore wind power.
LEEDCo has begun work on a five to nine turbine wind energy demonstration project in Lake Erie named "Icebreaker," which is slated to be completed in 2017. It would be the first freshwater offshore wind project in the nation.
The Icebreaker project involves the installation of six 3-megawatt American-made Siemens wind turbines approximately 7 miles off the coast of downtown Cleveland in Lake Erie. Officials also have a 1,000 megawatt target in mind by 2020.
According to 'The News-Herald;, LEEDCo plans to use the pledges to encourage local electricity suppliers to make that source of electricity available to their customers, who would have the chance to be among the project's first customers.
The project already has received a round of investment from its private partners and the U.S. Department of Energy to fund the initial engineering design and permit application process.
Source: The News-Herald