Turning a blue lake green

Although humans have been harnessing the wind for centuries, the United States still doesn't have a single offshore wind farm. But if the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo.) has anything to do about it, that's about to change.

The company's Project Icebreaker would bring between five and nine wind turbines to Lake Erie, which would be situated about seven miles northwest of downtown. Each three-megawatt turbine would rise approximately 450 feet from the water to the zenith of the blades -- about twice the height of the Valley View bridge.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded LEEDCo a $4 million grant last year to proceed with the development of Project Icebreaker. The company has a year to submit a plan and compete with six other projects for as much as $47 million to proceed with realization. If Project Icebreaker is chosen, Clevelanders could be admiring the massive pinwheels as early as 2016.

"It's a tough project all the way around, mostly because it's never been done in the U. S., but our prospects are excellent," says LEEDCo President Lorry Wagner. "We've got a tremendous team. Four of our partners have built offshore wind projects in Europe. We've got some great local talent. We've got the project management firm [PMC] that's building the Med Mart and the Flats East Bank. We're feeling very good about it."

Despite the mammoth size, the turbine cluster would merely be a prototype designed to introduce offshore wind energy to the region, says Wagner. A viable wind farm would include between 50 and 100 turbines positioned 10 to 15 miles offshore and tickle the clouds when the massive blades reach their highest point of nearly 500 feet.

But will Clevelanders be intimidated? Wagner doesn't think so.

"If you look what's happened around the world, wind turbines have become destinations," he says. "Each turbine will have its own little eco-system that grows at the base," says Wagner, adding that they attract fish, and in turn, fisherman. "Many countries have created places for boaters to tie up by the turbines. Then you start to think about the sailboats; now they have another pylon to sail around."

While the proposed wind turbines in Lake Erie are awfully big, some smaller projects are helping local businesses stay green and trim their utility bills.

Mitchell's Ice Cream soon will relocate from Rocky River to Ohio City, where they currently are renovating a century-old building into new headquarters, production area and retail space. Among the energy saving features is a 15,000-watt rooftop solar array that will power ultra high-efficiency LED and fluorescent lighting. In winter, exhaust from the industrial freezers will help heat the building. New skylights and windows will utilize the most renewable energy source of all—the sun.

"Our carbon footprint will be satisfyingly low," says owner Mike Mitchell.

Add insulation, a heat-deflecting white roof, high-tech windows and a storm water collection system that will supply gray water to the low-flow toilets and suddenly, the old Rialto Theater is starting to look decidedly modern.

"We're getting an education about what it means to build a sustainable building, about what it means to encourage sustainability in the community, and what it means to be a catalyst for the people," says Mitchell. "We've been working on this building for 17 months. It's been a great ride."