Powering West Michigan's Economy

With more than 100 years of leadership in component design, engineering, manufacturing, automation and assembly, West Michigan has become an increasingly popular location for alternative energy investment. Here you will find:

• Nearly 800 companies – one-third of our manufacturers – pre-qualified and ready to design and produce components for the alternative energy industry.
• More than 600,000 highly skilled production resources, engineers, designers, logistics specialists and other technical professions.
• Five Michigan universities with alternative energy programs
• 16,650 MW of potential onshore wind power generation and another 40,000 MW of offshore generation, ranking West Michigan 14th among U.S. metropolitan regions for wind generation
•  A state Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that mandates 10% of energy usage from alternative sources by 2015 and 20% by 2025
• Rail, deepwater ports, the state’s second-largest airport, and a transportation infrastructure that offers same-day delivery to Minneapolis, Toronto, Memphis and other major hubs.

World class manufacturing, R&D centers, innovation networks, and leading alternative energy companies await in West Michigan, where green is the new gold and alternative is anything but. West Michigan’s alternative energy industry has the potential to generate more than $1.2 billion and 4,330 jobs for our economy by 2013.

Building an Alternative Energy Future

West Michigan’s manufacturing excellence gives it a distinct advantage in the emerging alternative energy market. With expertise in precision plastics and metals, one-third of the region’s manufacturers – nearly 800 companies – are available to produce components for alternative and renewable energy technologies.   In fact, several sustainable and alternative energy companies are already growing in West Michigan, they include: 

• Cascade Engineering – its Renewable Energy Solutions division designs and produces renewable energy systems, including the Swift Wind Turbine, the first silent rooftop turbine. The company is also a leader in the design and manufacture of renewable plastic components.
• Granger Electric Company – is an industry leader in the field of alternative energy resources, specializing in the development of electrical power plants at landfills. In 2009, Kent County Public Works and Granger Electric of Byron Center opened a new biomass electric plant. The 3.2 megawatt plant converts landfill gas to electricity that can power some 2,000 typical homes.  
• Hemlock Semiconductor Corp.  – also in Michigan is the world’s leading provider of hyper-pure, polycrystalline silicon and silicon-based products used in semiconductor devices, passive solar cells and modules.

Other advantages? West Michigan offers a highly trained workforce, recognized leadership in design and engineering as well as established leadership in precision plastics and metal forming. The region also provides close proximity to energy markets via an extensive transportation network capable of accommodating oversize components.

Supporting Innovative Growth

West Michigan’s growing alternative energy industry enjoys a premier support network for any company developing alternative energy technologies. Power your innovation with support from these and other resources:

• The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC)  – a fully integrated demonstration facility for alternative energy technology R&D
• The Western Michigan University Alternative and Renewable Energy Laboratories  – research laboratories for energy use, conservation and technology development
•  Next Energy -- a statewide organization founded to support the commercialization of energy technologies
• Kalamazoo Valley Community College Wind Turbine Technician Academy – a first-of-its-kind training center for technicians who work on utility-sized turbines. Certified by Bildungszentrum fur Erneuerbare Energien (BZEE).
• Muskegon Community College Biofuels Lab - is an applied research center for biofuels. The center is part of MCC's alternative energy program, which provides certificates and degree advancement courses in Wind, Solar, and Biofuels. MCC also uses the lab to collaborate with industry, government, and other academic institutions to promote the advancement of biofuels in the west Michigan region.
• Michigan Technological University's Advanced Power Systems Research Center  – a multidisciplinary organization that fosters collaborative research of alternative energy technologies
• SmartZones and Business Accelerators – to stimulate the growth of technology-based businesses and jobs by creating recognized clusters of technology enterprises and research institutions throughout the state.
• Michigan Green – A consortium of 100 public and private sector members working to make Michigan an alternative energy powerhouse, promoting use of alternative energy technologies such as ethanol, hydrogen, solar, battery, wind and geothermal energy.
• Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association (GLREA) – A non-profit organization that educates, advocates, promotes and publicly demonstrates renewable alternative energy technologies

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To learn more about our location advantages, contact us or talk to our Business Development team.