Commercial wind farms are constructed to generate electricity for sale through the electric power grid.  The number of wind turbines on a wind farm can vary greatly, ranging from a single turbine to thousands.  Large wind farms typically consist of multiple large turbines located in flat, open land.  Small wind farms, such as those with one or two turbines, are often located on a crest or hill.

The size of the turbines can vary as well, but generally they are in the range of 500 Kilowatts to several Megawatts, with 4.5 Megawatts being about the largest.   Physically, they can be quite large as well, with rotor diameters ranging from 30 m to 100 m (100 ft to 325 ft) and tower heights ranging from 50 m to 80 m (164 to 260 ft).   Due to advances in manufacturing and design, the larger turbines are becoming more common. 

In general, a one Megawatt unit can produce enough electricity to meet the needs of about 100-200 average homes.  A large wind farm with many turbines can produce many times that amount.  However, with all commercial wind farms, the power that is generated first flows into the local electric transmission grid and does not flow directly to specific  homes.

A rough rule of thumb is that companies must invest approximately $1,000 for every Kilowatt of rated power generation.   How quickly they can recover that investment and earn a return depends on the wind speeds in an area and the price at which they can sell that electricity. 

Additional economic incentives for large wind farms are provided for by federal production tax credits.    At the state level in Michigan, no specific incentives exist to promote wind power development. Some legislation, however, is being considered.  

There are currently no commercial wind farms in the Western U.P.  The closest wind farm, located in Mackinaw City, is about 250 miles to the east.  It consists of two .8 Megawatt turbines and is operated by Bay Windpower, LLC.

The Western U.P., which is heavily forested, presents numerous challenges to the construction of large commercial wind farms.  For a wind farm with many turbines, large tracts of wooded land would have to be cleared, which would mean sacrificing one resource for another.   Hence, if commercial wind farms are to be developed in the area, they are likely to be small clusters of turbines in particularly windy locations.  In other areas, small wind farms consisting of one or two turbines are often operated in conjunction with a local entity, such as a village, school district, university, or cooperative. 

Despite outstanding offshore winds in the area, large offshore commercial wind farms are unlikely due to the depth of Lake Superior.  Furthermore, any large wind farm (over 100 MW) would currently overwhelm the existing transmission grid. 

Wind Power in the Western Upper Peninsula