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UPPER THUMB, Mich., Dec. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy's $255 million Cross Winds® Energy Park in Michigan's Upper Thumb began serving electric customers today with a formal declaration that it has begun commercial operation.

With completion of Cross Winds, Consumers Energy now meets Michigan's renewable energy standard of 10 percent, one year ahead of the scheduled requirement.

Cross Winds is Consumers Energy's second wind park and has a generating capacity of 111 megawatts.  It consists of 62 wind turbine generators, all located in Akron and Columbia townships in Tuscola County.

Consumers Energy thanks Tuscola County and area governmental officials in particular, for making today's 'start-up' possible.  Construction of Cross Winds kept our company's commitments to safety and good communication with area residents," said Jack Hanson , senior vice president of energy resources for Consumers Energy.  "We appreciate the outstanding workmanship of the building trades on this project, and their excellent safety record."

Michigan -based Barton Malow was the lead contractor for the Cross Winds facility.  More than $100 million of the $255 million project included investments for construction and components made by Michigan manufacturers.

"This project continues our ' Michigan -first' purchasing strategy as part of Pure Michigan Business Connect," said Hanson.

More information on Cross Winds is available at www.crosswindsenergypark.com .
Consumers Energy , the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), provides natural gas and electricity to 6.5 million of Michigan's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

Here are some interesting facts about the wind farm.

Consumers Energy undertook two years of wildlife studies based on recommendations from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources when considering placement of a wind energy farm in the project area. These studies included two years of avian studies, including use of the area by short ear owls and bald eagles, song bird breeding, and large bird migration, by Dr. Joelle Gehring of Michigan Natural Features Inventory.  Additional studies were also completed to identify the potential presence of the Indiana bat, an endangered species, or the eastern pipistrelle, a species of special concern in Michigan.  The bat studies were completed by Dr. Alan Kurta of Eastern Michigan University.

• The project will create about 150 construction-related jobs and eight to twelve operating and maintenance jobs when the wind park begins commercial operation in late 2014.
  
• Over $100 million of the $250 million total investment in Cross Winds is being directed to Michigan-based vendors or suppliers making the project another Michigan Business Connect success story for Consumers Energy. Consumers Energy has completed a detailed economic impact analysis to provide a more detailed report.
  
• Cross Winds is estimated to generate millions of dollars in new tax revenue over the life of the project.
  
• Consumers Energy will pay millions of dollars collectively to landowners pursuant to their easements. These annual payments will be an additional income stream into the area over the life of the project.
  
• Cross Winds® Energy Park will account for millions of dollars per year of direct and indirect economic impact to Tuscola County when it begins operating. The projected amount is included in the detailed economic impact analysis completed by Consumers Energy

[eds]

Ultracapacitors can help wind turbines improve efficiency while reducing maintenance.

What is the difference between an ultracapacitor and a battery?

Batteries store energy electrochemically.
. . . There is actually a chemical reaction that takes place, and
. . . that energy is stored in the chemicals.
. . . Then, when the battery is discharged,
. . . that energy is released through a reverse chemical process.

Doing that continually wears out the charge mechanism,
. . . so batteries typically can only be recharged a certain number of times.
A lead-acid battery can be recharged maybe a few hundred times, and
. . . a really good lithium-ion battery may get a few thousand.

Ultracapacitors stores its energy electrostatically,
. . . so no chemical reaction takes place.
. . . You can charge and discharge them as rapidly as you want, and
. . . you can do that millions of times.
. . . They have a lower energy density, but they have much higher power energy.

Batteries also have a narrow temperature window.
. . . They don’t work well when the temperature drops below zero.
. . . Ultracapacitors work very well in temperatures as low as -40°F.

12-31-2014 Source:  Ultracapacitors in Wind Turbine