MichiganRadio

City Of Grand Rapids Move Forward With Proposal For Wind Turbines On Lakeshore GRAND RAPIDS, MI (Michigan Radio) - The city of Grand Rapids is moving ahead with a plan to install two large wind turbines on the lakeshore near Grand Haven.

Leaders in Grand Rapids have set a goal of getting 100% of the city's electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

The city has a water treatment facility in Grand Haven Township, along with 79 acres of unused land. The plan is to put two 300-foot-tall wind turbines at the site to help power the water treatment facility.

It's one of the first proposals to put wind turbines of that size on Lake Michigan.

Haris Alibasic is in charge of sustainability for Grand Rapids.

"Being first may be more difficult," he says. "But I think it's important."

Some residents in Grand Haven Township worry the turbines could hurt property values, cause noise and kill birds. Grand Rapids officials say they have research showing those won't be problems.

Contact Dustin Dwyer at dtdwyer@umich.edu.

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