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State officials are looking for a few farmers to test the wind with more than a wet index finger. Michigan State University will place five anemometers around the state to measure wind velocity, the first step in gauging whether wind generators are feasible statewide.
State officials are looking for a few farmers to test the wind with more than a wet index finger. Michigan State University will place five anemometers around the state to measure wind velocity, the first step in gauging whether wind generators are feasible statewide.
Researchers already know Michigan has plenty of wind, and once was home to tens of thousands of rural windmills used primarily to pump well water.
The American Wind Association claims Michigan is the 14th windiest state.
The university received state and federal grants to buy five anemometers, which retail for $3,300 each.
Researchers will select five farms in the Upper Peninsula, northern Lower Peninsula, the Thumb, western lower and southern lower Michigan.
Prospective cooperators must own land with a good wind flow and easy road access, and they must be willing to assist in erecting and removing the 30-meter instruments.
Applications are available online at web1.msue.msu.edu/wind and are due by March 1.