The race to be "first in the water" with offshore wind is heating up, and Cleveland is at the center of the action.

Promoters of the proposed "Icebreaker" pilot wind project in Lake Erie have their sights set on becoming the first Great Lakes offshore wind installation, and using the honor to bolster Cleveland's nascent image as a wind power hub, despite the fact northeast Ohio’s wind resources are not stellar.

The Cleveland-based Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) partnership is competing with other Great Lakes and coastal projects for a chunk of up to $50 million of $180 million over six years the U.S. Department of Energy has offered to spur offshore wind development. The first phase of the grant competition happens this summer.