The only caution to this is that once major corporations start implementing these wind farms, the words EMINENT DOMAIN just may be used!! Right now that is the only thing I see as a possible danger.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I didn't intend to sound any alarms, but it's worth paying attention to and getting appropriate safeguards in place. They don't really exist because most of us aren't thinking about giant windmills most of the time. Like Rene mentioned, you don't necessarily have to reinvent the wheel, just incorporate some of what has worked elsewhere.
My main concern is more along the lines of ensuring that the guy who might live next door to someone who lets a giant windfarm go up. I wouldn't want to be too close for simple concerns like noise (yes, they do make noise), etc. Setback requirements will be crucial.
There's probably a host of concerns that I am unaware of at this point but I'm educating myself through a great resource and hope to wind up well-informed and less concerned.
All the above are valid concerns and I particularly like Senders approach When we drove out to Bouckville on Route #20 this summer we took the time to drive up to one of the mills. There was a distinct albeit faint noise eminating from it. Mostly like a gentle whooshing sound as the blades turned. I did not find it offensive but I was only there for a few minutes. I am in favor of residential towers with appropriate set backs etc. I need to learn more about the commercial windfarms. There are two informational meetings scheduled for the town of Charleston......way out in the boonies in Montgomery County I plan to attend. I have laws from 10 or 12 towns west of us to review. I think sounding the alarm was a good thing Michael, it got some conversation going and thats always good. I too am concerned about eminent domain and the commercial farms, as well as whether or not they are considered public utilities which gives the towns very little power to regulate them. As I learn more I will keep you posted.
Ive lived near a power line for the last 30 years and so far no ill effects from it. Some Dr's. say there's no harm and some say it's not good for you so who do you believe?
Michael, actually thanks for bringing this to our minds. I guess we don't think of these things until they are in our back yards. I wouldn't even know where to begin to do the research. So please continue to keep us informed.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
After praising the wind farms in the Altamont Hills, now California is having second thoughts about their use. Environmentalists are complaining that the windmills are killing migrating birds and endangered local birds and a study has shown that it takes a lot of energy to produce the energy generated by the windmills so it's not a great energy saver. The issue needs a lot of research b4 allowing a wind farm to be built in any area.
Not really Mike. At least it won't be brining in the 'undesirables' like Walmart!!
Hey, we have to try something for our energy since we don't want to be dependent on foreign oil. And look at it this way....at least it's not a nuclear reactor in our back yards.
You are so right bumble. Here we need alternative methods, what would anyone have against wind. Sorry the weather systems dont' bring windy days 365 days of the year, so we need to make our own. And people complain. Well, keep paying those exhorbitant utility bills
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Everything is a "Cause and Affect" or "Act and React". But we can't continue with the status quo. We just need to do the research and hope that we find the right solution for the betterment of everyone. Eminent Domain, control and taxing of this energy is a concern of mine at this point.
GE, Horizon make wind turbine deal Wednesday, January 30, 2008 By Jason Subik (Contact) Gazette Reporter
ALBANY — Horizon Wind Energy LLC, a company that manages wind energy projects, opened its Northeast regional headquarters in Albany on Tuesday and announced a deal with GE Energy for future U.S. projects. General Electric will sell 201 1.5-megawatt wind turbines to Horizon to be shipped in 2010. Under a separate two-year agreement, GE will provide operations support, parts and maintenance for those units. Company officials did not disclose the dollar value of the transaction. “That is a big order. There are about 3,000 turbines a year that we produce. This is close to 10 percent of our annual production,” said Sean Fitzgerald, GE Energy product line leader for the 1.5 megawatt wind turbine. GE’s new deal with Horizon Energy follows the October announcement of a global framework agreement between GE and Horizon’s parent company, Energias de Portugal, for the supply of 500 megawatts of wind turbines for 2008 and 2009 projects in the United States and Europe. Horizon Wind Energy Northeast Regional Development Director Patrick Doyle said EDP manages wind energy projects outside of the United States while Horizon focuses solely on the U.S. domestic market. He said his company chose to locate in New York because it is the 15th most windy state and has a large population, energy needs and a friendly attitude toward clean energy. “It’s also a large dairy farming state, and dairy farmers use their land to produce a renewable resource so they are very open to the idea of hosting a wind turbine or two or three,” Doyle said. Horizon Energy is looking at five possible locations for new wind farms throughout New York state. Doyle said typically Horizon will come to an agreement with the owners of many adjacent land parcels to create large wind farms that span many acres. He said each wind turbine could mean $10,000 in annual lease revenue paid to land owners. Horizon Energy’s Albany office has eight employees, most of whom are project managers, Doyle said. Before a wind farm can be developed, Horizon officials must determine the likely long-term viability of the wind energy supply in a region, navigate local regulatory boards and build millions of dollars in electricity transmission infrastructure and equipment. “In wind energy, the energy is inexpensive, but the process requires a lot of capital,” Doyle said. Fitzgerald said the turbines sold to Horizon are manufactured and assembled at different GE plants around the world. He said all of the turbines GE makes will be monitored from the its Erie Boulevard campus in Schenectady. In July, GE Energy announced a push to hire 150 new white-collar employees to staff the new wind energy product management and customer service center to support its Renewable Energy Global Headquarters in Schenectady. “A lot of the senior leadership positions have been filled out. Those folks are in the process of hiring out their teams and building up their staff,” Fitzgerald said of the buildup. Horizon Wind Energy Chief Executive Officer Antonio Martins da Costa said the proximity of Horizon’s Albany office, GE’s wind service center as well as GE Global Research in Niskayuna, where much wind turbine research and development occurs, reinforces the relationship between the two companies. “We see strong potential for future wind projects throughout this region, and our new Albany office positions us to better serve this promising market,” da Costa said. Renewable growth On Jan. 14, General Electric Co.’s energy investment business, GE Energy Financial Services, announced it would increase its investment in renewable energy by 50 percent to $6 billion by 2010. The most active investment in renewable energy for GE Energy Financial Services is wind, representing about two-thirds of its portfolio, according to company officials. GE Energy Financial Services has invested in Horizon wind farms in Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon and Texas. The four wind farms will annually produce enough electricity to power more than 180,200 average homes in the United States and will avoid nearly 1.4 million tons a year in greenhouse gas emissions, compared with equivalent fossil fuel generation, GE Energy Financial Services said. GE Energy Financial Services has invested or committed to invest equity in 85 wind farms and increased its global wind equity holdings to more than 3,600 megawatts of generating capacity.
Hmmmmm.....I would say that Duanesburg may be one of the places they may have their eye on.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Horizon Wind Energy LLC plans on buying 201 wind turbines from GE Energy. The turbines are scheduled to be shipped in 2010.
Horizon officials declined to detail where the 1.5 megawatt turbines would be installed or the value of the deal.
"It's significant for us. This is a large volume order," said Sean Fitzgerald, GE Energy's product line leader. He said GE sells about 3,000 of the wind turbines a year.
Horizon is receiving a $300 million equity investment from GE Energy Financial Services in four of its wind farms located in Oregon, Minnesota, Illinois and Texas. GE Energy has a plant in Schenectady, but these turbines will be made in plants in such places as South Carolina, Florida, California, Germany, Spain and China.
Horizon, based in Houston, Texas, has several New York projects, including the Maple Ridge Wind Farm in Lewis County and the Madison Wind Farm in Madison County. The company has invested a combined $500 million in both projects.
Horizon also announced on Tuesday that it has expanded into a larger office in downtown Albany, N.Y. The company has seven employees in its northeast regional office in Albany.
The company's Albany office had $80 million in revenue last year, said Patrick Doyle, Horizon's development director. Doyle sees that increasing to $100 million by 2009.
"This really is a center of many things for New York state," said Doyle, explaining why it located an office in Albany despite having no wind projects here.
Doyle pointed to the energy-related entities such as New York Independent System Operator, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the Public Service Commission that have a presence here. The NYISO runs New York's grid, NYSERDA invests in alternative energy programs and the Public Service Commission regulates the state's electric, gas, steam, telecommunications, and water utilities.
Doyle said Albany was centrally located, since Horizon has projects in Maine, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
Horizon is a subsidiary of Energias de Portugal S.A. (EDP), a Portuguese utility.
National Grid is from England.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
ROTTERDAM Temporary tower gets town approval Wind-energy company will be permitted to have structure in spot for up to 3 years BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Town planning officials approved a wind-energy company’s plans for a meteorological testing tower in Pattersonville on Tuesday, but stressed that the structure will not be permanent. Planning commission members approved a 197-foot tower near an existing cellular tower off Crawford Road. The developer, the Vermont-based Reunion Power, will be permitted to test at the 1,300-foot elevations for up to three years, after which time they will be required to remove the structure. “It’s a temporary tower,” Chairman Lawrence DiLallo said. The commission approval is the final needed for the special use permit. The developers were also asked to place reflectors on any support cables for the tower, which will be 8 inches in diameter. DiLallo said pieces of the tower will be carried onto the site, meaning the structure will not require a road, and it is shorter than 200 feet, so the company won’t need to illuminate it for air safety. Only one resident living near the proposed testing site voiced concerns over the idea of wind power developments in high-elevation areas of the town. DiLallo said the tower is only for testing purposes and does not necessarily mean the company will try to develop a project. Meanwhile, town officials from both Rotterdam and Princetown have discussed drawing up a wind ordinance. Rotterdam planner Peter Comenzo said the towns share similar high elevation areas, meaning they both have potential for future wind power projects. “The towns are going to work cooperatively on it,” he said following the meeting. “Both towns want to be proactive on this.”
ROTTERDAM Wind turbine planned at GE plant BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
General Electric Co. plans to build a 300-foot-tall wind turbine on its property in Rotterdam to power parts of the plant by 2009. County Legislator Angelo Santabarbara said GE announced the project during a meeting with local and county government officials Friday afternoon in Schenectady. The proposed tower would be roughly a football field tall, similar to one the company erected last year at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Massachusetts, and would generate 1.5 megawatts. “It’s going to be the first of its kind in the area,” Santabarbara said. “It’s going to be a showpiece.” GE Spokeswoman Dan Nelson confirmed the plans Friday. He said the turbine would be nearly identical to the one built at Jiminy Peak and would be used to power the company’s Renewables Global Headquarters, among other buildings at the plant. “We plan to submit the permits later this summer and hope to have it installed by summer 2009,” he said. Nelson said GE has conducted tests and determined there is sufficient wind. He was unsure how much the project would cost. Worries about carbon emissions linked to global warming has spurred an expansion of GE’s wind turbine business. In November, the company announced a $39 million expansion of its Renewables Global Headquarters in Schenectady, a move that is anticipated to bring nearly 650 additional jobs to the plant in coming years. GE has already announced three major contracts to build wind turbines, including $2 billion worth of projects for the Chicago-based Invenergy LLC and $700 million for the Texasbased Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. Jiminy Peak’s turbine came online last August and cost about $3.9 million, according to a news release issued by the ski resort last year. Dubbed “the Zephyr” by the resort, the 253-foot-tall tower has three 123-foot-long blades and produces 4.6 million kilowatt hours of energy per year – about 33 percent of the total electricity consumption of the resort. The tower made Jiminy Peak the first mountain resort in North America to generate its own power. Resort offi cials expect the harnessing of wind power coupled with energy conservation will reduce the resort’s energy costs by nearly 50 percent in the first year. GE’s project announcement comes at a time when several Schenectady County towns are considering wind turbine ordinances. Officials in the towns of Rotterdam and Princetown are drafting regulations guiding the development of wind projects. Santabarbara, who is also the chairman of Rotterdam’s Industrial Development Agency, said the project would face several approvals from the town. He said officials from the town and the Rotterdam IDA are looking forward to developing the project with GE. Likewise, Rotterdam Supervisor Steve Tommasone said he supports GE’s effort to expand in the county and is eager to hear more about the project. “That’s fantastic news,” he said. “I’m very supportive of anything we can do to bring those types of projects to our community.”
Posted on: 05/29/08 Ross Marvin, Spotlight Staff email: marvinr@spotlightnews.com
Rotterdam IDA Chairman Angelo Santabarbara said plans for General Electric Co. to build a 300-foot-tall wind turbine that could generate up to 1.5 megawatts of power for the company’s plant are moving forward.
GE spokeswoman Jan Smith confirmed plans to build the tower. She said the tower could be used to power the company’s Renewables Global Headquarters, as well as other projects at the plant.
“There’s a fast-growing U.S. market for wind power,” said Smith. “This project is a great sign since it is located at the headquarters for Renewables.”
Santabarbara, who learned of the project in late April, said that Rotterdam should continue to embrace green projects. He cites the SI Group’s biomass boiler project as another flagship initiative that retains jobs in Rotterdam.
“This would be the only tower like it in the region,” said Santabarbara.
Santabarbara said the tower could power parts of the plant by 2009. Santabarbara said GE officials already tested the area to see if it was capable of producing the necessary power. Tests proved there is sufficient wind in the area.
Santabarbara said the GE project would be subject to several town permits. The tower plan follows proposals by other wind farm developers, which are currently in front of planning commissions in the towns of Princetown and Rotterdam.
Vermont-based Reunion Power received final site plan approval from the Rotterdam Planning Commission in February to install a 197-foot, temporary meteorological tower off Crawford Road.
Jim Mirenda, development manager for Reunion, said the temporary tower would measure wind speed to determine the feasibility of turbine instillation.
While no wind towers currently stand in Rotterdam, an identical tower to the one proposed by GE was installed last year at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Massachusetts.
The $3.9 million tower, called the “Zephyr,” stands 253 feet and is equipped with three 123-foot blades, according to the resort’s Web site.
The turbine produces nearly one-third of the resort’s power with 50 to 60 percent of its production capabilities coming in Jiminy Peak’s busy winter skiing months.
Officials are unsure how much the Rotterdam project will cost, but the tower ties in with November’s expansion of GE’s wind turbine business.
The $39 million expansion of its Renewables Global Headquarters is anticipated to bring about 750 high paying jobs to the region within a few years.
According to Smith, GE has been increasing its sales of wind turbines nationwide. Earlier this month, the company completed a giant $2 billion sale of 667 wind turbines to oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens, owner of Texas-based Mesa LLP.
“He plans to build the world’s largest wind farm in the Texas Panhandle,” said Smith.
A few weeks ago when Shurada had a proposal to have solar cells and wind towers ( I think he put that out a couple of years ago) Susan Savage says "all the studies show our county is not feasable for wind power"
That is in the Journal (Spotlight news) does anyone remember THAT? HAHHAHAAA. Well she has more egg on the face- an omelet's worth to be exact after this comes out! Where is that study, Mrs. S????
Her study probably reads....."No wind towers will work if the idea came from REPUBLICAN politicans, only DEMOCRAT ideas for Wind mills will work in Schenectady County."
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Like Rene mentioned, you don't necessarily have to reinvent the wheel, just incorporate some of what has worked elsewhere.
