By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Three companies are looking into the possibility of placing wind farms in Cass County, Sandy Gower told Dowagiac Rotary Club Thursday.
"The area of the county that seems to be the concentration is Wayne, Penn, LaGrange and Volinia townships, then on up into Van Buren (County)," said Gower, Cass County grants and projects manager.
Patty Nowlin, communications director, said Midwest Energy Cooperative is in the process of developing in its Cassopolis backyard a "renewable energy park. I don't think a day goes by we don't get a call about incorporating wind technology. Unfortunately, there are some unsavory sales tactics out there in what has become a cottage industry. People are afraid of where energy prices are going" and are vulnerable to pitches.
"We have a four kilowatt solar display up now and a five- kilowatt wind turbine that should be going live any day," Nowlin said. "Next year we'll be adding a fuel cell to that as well. All of this is interconnected and powering part of our garage.
"We'll invite groups in to tour to help people see that correlation with current conditions. Everybody thinks wind goes all the time. Everybody will really see what the output is for that day, that month and on a year-to-year basis. We'll be able to help people understand the financial investment, what you pay out and what your payback is based on the output. Some people will choose to do it anyway because they feel like it's the right thing to do for the environment. Some people think they're going to be making money by putting a five-kilowatt turbine in their backyard."