DTE Energy opens Polaris Wind Park in Michigan
The Polaris Wind park in Gratiot County, Mich., became operational recently and is now providing clean energy to more than 64,000 homes.
The wind park – the largest in Michigan — features 68 turbines and generates 168 megawatts. It is owned and operated by Detroit-based DTE Energy. It is the first of four new wind parks DTE will commission in 2020. The Polaris wind farm will offset 355,000 metric tons of CO2 annually, drawing DTE closer to its goal of reducing carbon emission by 50 percent by 2030.
“DTE is leading Michigan’s clean energy transformation,” Trevor Lauer, president and COO at DTE Electric, said. “Bringing projects like Polaris Wind online provide tremendous benefits for our customers, the environment, and the state of Michigan. We are committed to continued growth of our renewable energy portfolio, including wind and solar, as we work to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
DTE has invested $3 billion in renewable energy infrastructure since 2009. In the next five years, the company will invest an additional $2 billion in wind and solar assets.
“Wind development has unquestionably brought increased economic prosperity to Gratiot County,” Jim Wheeler, president at Greater Gratiot Development, said. “In addition to tax revenue that benefits the County, townships, and schools, investment from wind development was used to leverage a grant for infrastructure in the Breckenridge Industrial Park, which now houses five companies and over 100 jobs. The area economy also benefits from increased consumer spending at restaurants and retail shops by temporary construction workers and permanent maintenance technicians, in addition to increased spending from local landowners who receive lease payments. Overall, wind development has offered Gratiot County a renewed drive toward the future with new opportunities for its citizens.”
DTE now produces over 1,300 MW of renewable energy and will be adding another 800 MW by the end of 2022. Including Polaris, DTE’s renewable energy portfolio includes 15 wind parks and 31 solar arrays, all located in Michigan. DTE Energy provides electricity to 2.2 million customers in Southeast Michigan and natural gas to 1.3 million customers in Michigan.
