GE to Provide Turbines for Lake Erie

GE announced Monday at the annual conference of the American Wind Energy Association in Dallas that they will team with Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDC0) to build a 20 megawatt wind energy facility outside of Cleveland, Ohio, in 2012. The new wind energy will use GE's gearless, direct drive 4 megawatt turbine that has proven their reliability for offshore wind conditions. This will be the first U.S. project of fresh water offshore wind and are projected to be capable of generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity by 2020.

The LEEDCo-GE partnership working with the Task Force Great Lakes Energy Development to build the offshore wind industry along the Lake Erie since the location has been dominated by sustained winds and a strong manufacturing community to make the necessary components. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland said that "This partnership will not only advance the technology of offshore wind, will also advance the Ohio economy. We are eager to continue the strong cooperation with GE and LEEDCo state as we pursue this exciting first-of-its kind initiative to lake Erie.