Energy Fest 2007 - held last week on the Diag - was geared toward educating the community about the benefits of harnessing wind energy, and it brought to light proposals for building wind farms here in Washtenaw County. While they would be better built here than not at all, there are other places in the state where such farms would be more efficient. Ann Arbor's commitment to using more renewable energy is commendable, but making renewable energy a statewide priority would have a significantly greater impact. Achieving this goal requires a cooperative effort and forward thinking throughout Michigan, especially in Lansing.

As of June 27, the amount of energy that wind farms produced nationally was 11,961 megawatts. Wyoming, the least populated state in the country, produced 288 megawatts, while Michigan contributed only 3 megawatts. Clearly, to make a significant environmental impact, the wind power movement needs to spread beyond Ann Arbor - and it will require the commitment of legislators, energy providers and customers to make it work.

The state legislature must require that energy companies provide a minimum amount of alternative energy to their customers - an action that 25 other states have already taken. The lack of such a requirement in Michigan has slowed progress in the state. As Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje said of Michigan's largest energy company, "DTE Energy has not been proactive with obtaining (renewable) energy. I just don't see them being interested in wind energy."

According to DTE spokesman John Austerberry, the company is willing to supply more renewable energy, as long as customers agree to pay more. Slightly elevated energy costs are a small but wise investment for consumers, given the many potential benefits renewable energy offers Michigan. Even so, in the long run, the state must be proactive in encouraging energy companies to find ways to bring down the price of renewable energy.

Local advocates of wind power have to be careful not to isolate the cause to Washtenaw County, where wind conditions are marginally adequate at best. Wind energy should be harnessed from areas where such efforts are most viable. More energy would be generated from wind farms built on the coasts of Michigan's Great Lakes than from turbines in Washtenaw County. This makes the idea a statewide cause.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm's 21st Century Energy Plan loosely outlined requirements for furthering the state's involvement in discovering, using and protecting sources of cleaner energy. Some legislators are hesitant to put those types of plans into action because of concerns about what that would mean for the state's economy, which has taken devastating blows in recent years. Rather than wait until Michigan's economy pulls itself out of this hole, however, the legislature should act right away because renewable energy can actually create jobs in the state. In 2004, the Renewable Energy Policy Project asserted that wind power could create more than 8,000 Michigan jobs.

Wind power could very well be a step toward a better economic and environmental future for Michigan. Legislative action requiring energy companies to provide a certain amount of wind energy would not only help the environment, but also provide jobs in the construction and maintenance of wind farms.

Ann Arbor has the right idea. It just needs to act in concert with the state, energy companies and consumers for wind power's full potential to be realized.