Lake Erie Science Series: Off-Shore Wind

Learn more about ‘Off-Shore Wind in the Great Lakes’ with John Sarver in this Lake Erie Science Series program at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8 in Orchestra Hall.

Off-shore wind power is being developed all over the world, including our own East Coast. What is happening in the Great Lakes and what can we expect to happen? Some experts predict that off-shore wind will be a major source of power for Great Lakes states in the future. What are the economic and environmental issues? John Sarver will discuss the status of wind power in the world, the U.S. and the Great Lakes. Learn more about the prospects and issues of developing this huge potential energy resource off our shores.

John Sarver joined the Michigan Energy Office in 1976, where he worked on energy conservation programs and later at the Michigan Public Service Commission in utility demand side management programs. Sarver began promoting solar and wind energy in the 1990s and established the Michigan Wind Working Group in 2002. He received the 2009 Outstanding Wind Working Group Award from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Sarver has served on the Board of Directors of the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative, the National Association of State Energy Officials and the National Council on Electricity Policy. Since retiring in 2010, he has been Executive Director of the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association for two years and served on the Board since 2014. Sarver was appointed to the Meridian Township Environmental Commission in 2014 and has led the development of the Climate Sustainability Plan. He has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.