Consumers Energy’s new Crescent Wind facility begins producing 166 MW in southern Michigan

A new, 166 MW wind farm known as Crescent Wind began producing renewable energy for Michigan customers of Consumers Energy this week.

Operations began immediately upon the Hillsdale County facility’s completion, adding 60 turbines to the company’s collection. Invenergy developed and built the farm, but Consumers Energy took ownership as soon as it was finished. Consumers can power approximately 64,000 more homes, bringing the total capacity of its wind farms to around 249,600 residents.

“We are thrilled to welcome Crescent Wind to our assets powering Michigan with clean energy,” Dennis Dobbs, vice president of enterprise project management, engineering, and services for Consumers Energy, said. “It’s amazing to consider the addition of Crescent Wind completes a doubling of the wind energy parks we own and operate compared to a year ago.”

Crescent Wind joins three other Consumers wind projects in the state: Lake Winds Energy Park, Cross Winds Energy Park, and Gratiot Farms Wind Project. All are part of the company’s Clean Energy Plan, which calls for eliminating coal use, providing 90 percent of customers’ energy needs through clean sources and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

The newest wind farm cost approximately $246 million and will employ 11 full-time employees to operate it out of a service center in Jonesville, Michigan. That facility has yet to be finished but should be completed later this month.