A municipality in the western lower peninsula famous for its 270- year-old Dutch windmill wants to build a windmill turbine farm in the eastern U.P.

The Holland Board of Public Works and the Holland City Council unanimously voted to explore an option to build a wind farm in DeTour and Raber townships. The two entities approved spending $1.3 million, at a September 24 meeting, to study 1,500 acres of land owned by downstate developing company Stone Mountain Properties.

The proposed $140 million wind farm could be home to as many as 20 turbines producing up to a total of 50 megawatts of wind energy. According to the American Wind Energy Association's Web site, that's enough energy to power between 4,500 and 6,000 homes.

But why build a wind farm in the U.P., more than 250 miles away from Holland?

General Manager Loren Howard of the board of public works said they've been interested in perusing alternative resource sites all over the state for several years. He said if there was a substantial site with adequate resources near Holland, they'd be conducting studies in that area.

"Once we go beyond 10 miles away from our service area, it really wouldn't matter how far away we were," he said. "It doesn't really matter if it's 10 miles away or 1,000 miles away."

On paper, it would look like the generated electricity would be shipped to Holland, but in actuality it would be sent to consumers close to the power supplier handling the power generated by the turbines, said Dan Dasho, general manager for Dafter-based Cloverland Electrical Cooperative. At this time, it is unknown if local residents would have reduced electric rates.

"It's a financial paper chase when it comes to the power generated," he said. "Is the wind farm power really going to Holland? No."

As an analogy, Holland Mayor Al McGeehan said it's the same as everybody pouring a cup of water into a bucket, but not necessarily being able to get the exact same cup of water out.

Mayor McGeehan visited the site about two weeks ago and said he was impressed with what he saw.

"The best wind anywhere in Michigan happens to be in the U.P.," he said. "What we think we're doing is a very responsible and necessary investigation. That's all we're doing right now is studying."

According to a wind power density map made by wind energy activist group Albany, New Yorkbased AWS Truewind, winds along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior have the highest rating for wind turbines 50 meters or taller. Maps of optimal wind density for turbines of different heights are viewable on the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth Web site.

Shortly after Mr. McGeehan's visit, Holland officials began conducting a one-year feasibility study to determine if there is enough wind to power the turbines.

A crew is in place erecting a meteorological tower, which is expected to be up and running by Friday, October 24, Mr. Howard said. A second tower is expected to be erected in the coming weeks.

The two towers will measure the wind cycles for the entire year of the study before Holland officials make any decision to go forward with the wind farm, Mr. Howard said.

During that time, the city of Holland also has a $500,000 option to purchase exclusive rights to buy the land. If the study results please Holland officials, that money would go toward the $10.5 million to $12.5 million price tag to buy the land, according to Mr. Howard. The rights to the land could also be extended on a month-by-month basis for up to six months after the study is completed.

"If we don't decide to purchase that land, Wayne [DeYoung] can do whatever he wants to do with the land," Mr. Howard said. Mr. De- Young is a Holland Township resident and the president of Stone Mountain Properties.

If all goes according to schedule, the turbines, financed through revenue bond sales, could be up and spinning in about three years, he said.

The potential development would create dozens of jobs during construction, but would only create a small handful of permanent jobs for the area, Mr. Howard said.

The 1,500 acres sits on the border of DeTour and Raber townships east of Goetzville.

DeTour Township Supervisor Tom Lehman is excited about the potential development and new tax base.

"It'll be an economical boost as far as the taxes go. It's a win-win for us," he said.

But Raber Township Supervisor James Traynor is skeptical and thinks there are too many obstacles Holland officials will have to overcome to build the proposed wind farm, including running new power lines able to support the amount of power output by any new turbines.

"I don't think it's gonna go through, because in the end it's going to cost more on this end," he said.

Brett French, regional manager of external relations for Wisconsinbased American Transmission Company, which owns the only set of power lines connected to the 1,500- acre site, said the city of Holland will have to file a proposal with the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) to see if new power lines are necessary to interconnect the proposed turbines to the power grid. MISO is an independent, nonprofit organization based in Indiana, that supports the constant availability of electricity in 15 states, including Michigan, and one Canadian province.

"We anticipate that it is likely transmission lines will have to be upgraded to meet the needs being developed and proposed by the city of Holland. The nature and extent of any required upgrades will be determined through the studies for such a project," Mr. French said.

Mr. Dasho agreed that it is "more than likely" the power lines would need to be upgraded.

Studies concerning new lines would start after Holland officials complete the feasibility study and decide to pursue the project.

"What we have learned from a lot of the other projects throughout the state, for the most part, is that projects have required upgrades," Mr. French said.

Michigan recently adopted legislation mandating that all energy suppliers produce at least 10% of their total output from renewable energy sources by the year 2015. According to Mr. Howard, the proposed project would take care of the public works board's renewable commitment three years ahead of the 2015 deadline. The board provides electric, water, and wastewater services to the Holland community.

"We are involved with actual decision making of where our power will be and where it will come from," Mayor McGeehan said.