Governor Granholm visits West Michigan
Yesterday, the Governor stopped at Cascade Engineering, located just outside of Grand Rapids, for the second stop on her series of meetings across the state promoting alternative energy.
Several West Michigan companies attended the roundtable and talked about the areas that they are working in that will provide jobs and economic growth for our state as well as protecting our environment.
• Cascade Engineering expects to ship parts for a new micro-wind turbine next spring. The wind turbine’s blades are molded at Cascade’s local plant, and the company will market the product in North America and supply turbine manufacturer Swift Rotor of Scotland. Homes in windy environments could install a single turbine to provide as much as 20 percent of their energy needs.
• Genzink Steel of Holland expects to win a year-long contract to build generator bases for the wind power industry; demand for other energy-linked products led Genzink to reopen a shuttered plant in Sanford, hiring 40 people there;
• Herman Miller Inc., based in Zeeland, has rolled out its first programmable light-control technology, Convia Programmable Infrastructure that offers 30 percent energy savings.
• Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center in Muskegon commissioned its first biomass-to-electricity plant Wednesday, converting methane from a dairy herd into electric power.
• Meijer Inc. of Walker has converted its truck fleet to run on flexfuels, and installed E85 pumps at 40 gas stations. Next week, its first hydrogen-powered tractor trailer hits the road.
Cascade Engineering recently launched a new business and website called “Choose Renewables” that offers energy saving products for home use. Conservation kits, home lighting solutions, energy monitors, you name it- they can help you reduce your energy use and save you money. They also have a quiz that will help you identify areas in your life where you can improve your results.
These are just a few of the companies that are already moving Michigan forward into a green future by providing jobs for our citizens and reducing our dependence on oil. Check back soon for more reports from meetings around the state!
