Despite some of the best wind resources in the state being over the Great Lakes, Michigan does not currently have any off-shore wind projects. The primary challenge of placing wind development offshore is the cost - it is more expensive for construction and maintenance than onshore development, and there is additional regulation required for offshore projects. However, as technology improves the cost is declining and we are seeing more offshore projects being developed. The first offshore wind development in the U.S. came online in 2016 near Block Island, Rhode Island, and there is more planned along the East Coast.
An additional challenge for offshore wind development in Michigan is that the Great Lakes are freshwater lakes that are prone to freezing. This presents additional obstacles that are not faced by projects along the ocean coasts. There is currently an offshore wind project being planned in Lake Erie off the coast of Cleveland, with the fitting name of Icebreaker Wind Power Project.