[4] Michigan's requirement for 10 percent renewable energy by 2015 has led to increased alternative development in the state since this law was passed in 2008.
In 2011, the Environmental Law & Policy Center identified more than 100 businesses in Michigan involved in engineering and manufacturing wind turbine components, and employing 4,000 people.
[6] The first commercial wind turbine installed in the state, a 0.6 MW model, was erected in Traverse City in 1996.
[11]) Laker Elementary School in the Thumb region installed three 65KW turbines and a 10KW one, totaling 0.2 MW in 2005.
[16] Michigan has potential for offshore wind power in the Great Lakes, but development has been delayed by political considerations.