Detroit photographer Jeff White photographs DTE wind turbines near Caseville, Michigan.
Detroit photographer Jeff White photographs DTE wind turbines near Caseville, Michigan.
Have you ever drove past a giant wind turbine farm and wondered how big those things really are? Maybe you also wondered what they looked like up close? Well, last weekend my girlfriend Shirley and I did just that. On our way back home to Detroit from Caseville, Michigan, we decided to see one of these giant propeller thingies up close, and man oh man are they huge!
The turbine I photographed is in the Echo Wind Park, which is located in portions of Elkton, Chandler, and Oliver Townships in Michigan’s Huron County. The farm of turbines is scattered across open and flat farmland. Construction began in the fall of 2012. Echo is composed of 70 GE 1.6 MW turbines on nearly 16,000 acres. The completion of the project will add another 110 megawatts of renewable energy to DTE Energy’s portfolio.
Each blade (there are a total of 3) of the turbine is 160 feet long and weighs in at 7 tons. The blades are made of fiberglass, balsa wood and foam.
How much energy do these giant fans create? I wish I knew the answer. Another interesting question: Are these farmers paid for hosting these turbines on their land and how much? Would you allow DTE to build one of these in your back yard if the price was right?
