The Muskegon Astronomical Society will host two open houses at Muskegon County’s wastewater treatment site in late summer, including one that will allow visitors to see the famous Perseid meteor shower.
Both the county’s public works board and full board of commissioners approved terms of a lease agreement Tuesday with Muskegon Wind, LLC. This newly-formed company is a partnership of two companies — Scandia Wind Offshore and Gamesa Energy USA LCC, an American subsidiary of a Spanish company. This wind farm development will be strictly on land and will not include components in Lake Michigan as previously proposed in other areas including Oceana County. The maximum length of the lease could reach up to 60.5 years if its three terms take the maximum amount of time.
District 2 Commissioner Alan Jager stated that most panels and turbines have an average life expectancy of 25 years. However, at the cost and tax rates associated with owning and using them, owners can only regain the money on their investment after 15-20, leaving only a few years more to benefit off their purchase.
Two finalists, publicly known only as Company A and Company B at this time, are being kept secret at this time as not to jeopardize any negotiations. Both companies are apparently very similar. They each involve a large, European part and a local part working in a joint venture partnership.