Offshore wind in the Midwest? Some Great Lakes leaders believe so.

Years from now, when Chicagoans stroll along the Lake Michigan waterfront, they may see wind turbine blades glinting on the horizon. Clevelanders could see wind farms over Lake Erie. And cities like Milwaukee and Buffalo could compete to attract a growing offshore wind industry to the Great Lakes.

This is the vision some regional leaders have for America's Third Coast. They see the Midwest's freshwater seas as 94,000 square miles of untapped potential, with consistently strong winds in an area that already hosts an established manufacturing sector.

Legislators in Illinois and Pennsylvania are considering bills this year to promote offshore wind development in waters off their coasts. In Ohio, a long-debated project to install six wind turbines on Lake Erie has had its permit upheld by the state Supreme Court, paving the way for the nation's first freshwater wind farm.

“This area is often overlooked as a coastal-like area,” said Carlos Ochoa, ocean program director with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, a forum for state lawmakers. “You're seeing legislative movement in Great Lakes states where offshore wind wasn't particularly important years ago.”

But the lakes also pose unique challenges, including winter ice cover, inadequate port and marine infrastructure, and communities that value shorelines for their natural beauty.

That's why other areas moved faster. Offshore wind projects are growing along the Atlantic coast, where states have spent years creating utility requirements and investing in ports and infrastructure. In the Pacific Ocean, states hope that new technologies could unlock wind potential in deeper waters.

The Biden administration has pledged to reach 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030, enough to power more than 10 million homes. Some leaders believe it's time for the Great Lakes to be part of that mix.

The American side of the lakes is bordered by Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Each state controls the waters off the coast, extending to the middle of the lake where it reaches the border with the Canadian state or province on the opposite shore.

Many of these states still rely heavily on coal and natural gas for electricity. the eight states bordering the lakes produce a quarter of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

Meanwhile, according to a federal estimatethe Great Lakes account for one-fifth of the nation's offshore wind potential.

Despite all this potential, some critics liken installing wind farms on the Great Lakes to filling the Grand Canyon with solar panels.

“If you're from Cleveland, Lake Erie is your national park,” said John Lipai, a board member of the Lake Erie Foundation, an Ohio-based nonprofit. “I can think of very few people who want to see Lake Erie turned into an industrial wind facility.”

Others, however, believe the wind turbines on the horizon could be a point of pride, especially if Great Lakes wind can turn the Rust Belt into a clean energy hub.

“Some people will see this as a visible sign that we are doing big things to fight climate change,” said Jack Darin, director of the Sierra Club's Illinois chapter.

“I feel like the future”

Earlier this year, the Illinois House proposed a bill that would direct the state to continue a pilot project on Lake Michigan with the goal of bringing 150 megawatts of electricity online by 2030. Offshore wind experts say it's the strongest measure yet. has considered any Great Lakes state promoting such development.

The proposal would also create a fund that would allow the state to compete for federal infrastructure money while establishing equity requirements to ensure workforce and economic opportunities are directed to underserved communities.

“This is new and exciting and really looks like the future,” said state Rep. Ann Williams, the Democrat who chairs the Energy and Environment Committee. “There is a lot of untapped potential offshore.”

The bill has yet to advance in the Senate, but Williams expressed optimism that it will eventually pass.

Some environmental and labor organizations support the proposal. But at least one group has raised concerns that leasing wind sites to developers would violate the doctrine that lakes must be held in trust by states for public use.

Darin, with the Sierra Club, noted that Illinois is seeing stronger winds on Lake Michigan than on land. Offshore wind farms can also be built closer to the state's biggest electricity users in the Chicago area.

“There's a lot more capacity out there in the lake if we learn from this pilot that it can be done safely and effectively,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a bill that would establish a lease and royalty system for offshore wind facilities. State Rep. Bob Mursky, the bill's Democratic sponsor, did not respond to a request for comment.

The bill has not yet been decided in committee.

The offshore wind is gaining momentum on the west coast

Not there yet

While some state leaders are pushing to put turbines on the water, others believe such talk is premature. Michigan does not have an outright ban on offshore wind, but the supply of electricity in the state goes through a competitive bidding process. Without significant state incentives, offshore wind simply cannot compete on cost, said James Clift, deputy director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

He said the state still has plenty of room to develop onshore wind and solar farms, and state leaders are confident Michigan can transition to clean electricity even if offshore wind doesn't become viable.

Clift said turbines located in coastal waters could also create conflicts with recreation and tourism, key aspects of Michigan's identity. Placing wind farms in deeper water far from shore would require floating turbines, which are currently being developed for areas off Maine and the Pacific coast.

“Michigan hasn't shut the door on it forever, but [cost concern] it puts it down a little bit,” he said. “The breakthrough will come with floating turbine technology. At that point, will Michigan State jump in there and look at incentives? I think it's possible.”

An assessment released earlier this year by the federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that Michigan had far more potential than any other state to generate power from Great Lakes wind — an amount many times its annual electricity consumption. But harnessing that wind, for any state, will come with challenges.

Walt Musial, the lab's principal engineer, said the lakes don't yet have ports or ships that can support offshore wind development. The turbines will also have to be designed to withstand ice covering the lakes in winter.

“The question is not just whether it's a good idea, but is it necessary?” he said. “It certainly looks like there will be a challenge [for Great Lakes states] to meet all decarbonisation requirements with available land resources alone. There are enough resources out there in the lakes to make a significant contribution to this issue.”

However, he said, offshore wind in lakes is far from commercially viable.

The federal analysis produced by Musial and others found New York had the third largest potential for lake power. The state has invested heavily in developing wind power on the Atlantic Ocean, and officials recently spent 18 months exploring the feasibility of putting turbines on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. But the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has concluded that the state should put those ambitions on hold.

“Currently, Great Lakes wind does not make a unique, critical or cost-effective contribution to achieving New York's climate goals,” the agency said in a statement summarizing its findings.

Offshore Wind is finally taking off. States have relied on it.

Ohio could go first

The first test case for offshore wind on lakes is the Icebreaker Wind project in Ohio, a six-turbine pilot project planned on Lake Erie off the coast of Cleveland. Last year, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that state regulators followed the law in permitting the project. Backers are now working to line up capital and find a buyer for the wind farm's power.

“We have all the legal issues to get the windmills on the water, it's just going to be a matter of how quickly we can move on the business side,” said Jade Davis, senior vice president of external affairs for the Port of Cleveland, which has worked closely with the development company leading the project.

Davis said offshore wind has the potential to revitalize production in the region. Early projects like Icebreaker could help establish the supply chains and workforce that will lower costs for future projects, he said.

But the plan has also garnered backlash. Lipaj, with the Lake Erie Foundation, accused proponents of inflating estimates of jobs that Icebreaker Wind would create. Those proponents, he said, have touted electricity projections that would require massive construction of wind farms beyond the initial six turbines.

“There is a lot of opposition from the public to building 1,500 wind turbines on Lake Erie,” he said. “And [six turbines] it's not going to do anything for the environment.”

Some groups tried to stop the project out of fear it could harm migratory birds, which was one of the main legal challenges in the lawsuit threatening the permit. But other environmental groups say offshore wind poses fewer ecological risks than onshore renewable development.

“There is so much room and opportunity presented for the responsible development of offshore wind,” said Nolan Rutschilling, managing director of energy policy at the nonprofit Ohio Environmental Council. “You can really take advantage of the natural environment in a way that's not intrusive or harmful to the lakes or the wildlife.”