Michigan has numerous projects currently looking into the future for alternative renewable energy sources including recently finished Verso Paper Mill Energy Project, and now Grand Valley State University with their research buoy in Lake Michigan.

The buoy uses laser technology and had the ability of capturing the wind’s direction and speed at intervals of 164, 196, 246, 295, and 393 feet; about four miles offshore from November 4 to December 30.  During this time the information collecting buoy went through numerous storms and was even able to log the occurrence of twenty foot waves and wind speeds of over 60MPH.

The data is being used for research for wind turbines off the coast, which could be a viable source of energy in the future.  One of the biggest data harvesting parameters was wind quality; however the buoy collected over 100 different factors of information for further analysis by meteorologists and other researchers associated with the project.

Research Buoy Extracted from the Lake

The research buoy was extracted from Lake Michigan in order to protect the technology equipment before the lake freezes over and experiences winter weather conditions; however AXYS Technologies who is responsible for the manufacturing of the floating research platform (Wind Sentinel) was confident that it could withstand Mother Nature’s elements.

While the data provides some much needed information on sources for renewable energy, it is believed that the technology is still five to ten years away from being a reality.  Having the research done ahead of time will enable conclusive data to be used in a proactive way to make the technology that much more effective when this source of energy is considered in a large-scale offshore wind farm.

As the data is analyzed there is already strong evidence to suggest that wind quality is far superior offshore compared to onshore.  If you’ve ever lived on the lake, or even visited, it is well known that any strip of water-front land is usually slightly cooler and breezy.  Harvesting this natural source of energy via a wind turbine on a massive scale could prove to be an excellent method of renewable energy generation.

The GVSU research buoy will continue to collect data while it rests on the inner harbor wall, before going back out into the lake.  While it was floating about off-shore it was even able to effectively capture data on the lakes current, bird activity, surrounding air and water temperatures, water quality, and barometric pressure.  The buoy is scheduled to return to the water in late March despite funding issues after a court-ruling cut the grant short.