Wind Energy Projects in New York State

Operational as of March 2013

Steel Winds (US EPA Region II image)

It can be difficult, as I've recently found, to get a handle on the status of existing, proposed, and withdrawn wind power projects. Developers and operators change names or sell the projects, the names of projects change, projects are combined or separated or shelved, only to be dusted off again, and designs change.

The following list represents my best efforts to compile a list of wind projects currently operating in New York State. Any errors are entirely my own, so if you discover any, please let me know so that I can correct them.

These projects account for a total nameplate or maximum capacity of 1634.5 megawatts (MW).

1.  Cohocton Wind, a First Wind project located in Steuben County, Town of Cohocton, operational as of 2009: 35 turbines, 87.5 MW.

2.  Dutch Hill Wind Project (Cohocton II), a First Wind project located in Steuben County, Town of Cohocton, operational as of 2009: 15 turbines, 37.5 MW. The Cohocton Wind and Dutch Hill Wind Project are often represented as one project.

3. Fenner Wind Farm, an Enel Green Power North America, Inc., project located in Madison County, Town of Fenner, operational as of 2001: 20 turbines, 30 MW. One of the Fenner turbines collaped in December 2009, temporily reducing the wind farm's capacity to 28.5 MW. Construction on a replacement turbine began last year. 

4. Hardscrabble Wind Power Project, formerly called "Top Notch Wind Farm," an Iberdrola Renewables LLC project located in Herkimer County, Towns of Fairfield, Norway, and Little Falls, operational as of 2011: 37 turbines, 74 MW.

5. Howard Wind Project, an EverPower Wind Holdings, Inc., project located in Steuben County, Town of Howard, operational as of 2011: 27 turbines, 55.35 MW.

6. Madison Wind Farm, an EDP Renewables North America LLC project located in Madison County, Town of Madison, operational as of September 2000: 7 turbines, 11.55 MW. Just one month ahead of the Wethersfield Wind Farm, the Madison Wind Farm was the first wind energy project to commence commercial operations in New York State.

7. Maple Ridge I Wind Farm, formerly called the "Flat Rock Wind Power Project," a joint venture between Horizon Wind Energy and Iberdrola Renewables LLC; located in Lewis County, Towns of Lowville, Harrisburg, Martinsburg, and Watson; operational as of 2006: 140 turbines, 231 MW. Together with Maple Ridge II, this is one of the largest wind farms east of the Mississippi River.

8. Maple Ridge II Wind Farm, a joint venture between Horizon Wind Energy and Iberdrola Renewables LLC; located in Lewis County, Towns of Lowville, Harrisburg, Martinsburg, and Watson; operational in 2006: 55 turbines, 91 MW.

9. Marble River Wind Farm (Marble River I Wind Farm and Marble River II Wind Farm), an EDP Renewables North America LLC project located in Clinton County, Towns of Clinton and Ellenburg, operational as of 2012: 72 turbines 216 MW.

10. Munnsville Wind Project, formerly called "Central New York Wind," an E. ON Climate and Renewables North America LLC project located in Madison and Oneida Counties, Towns of Stockbridge, Augusta, Easton, and Madison, operational as of 2007: 23 turbines, 34.5 MW.

11. Noble Altona Windpark, a Noble Environmental Power LLC project located in Clinton County, Town of Altona, operational as of 2009: 65 turbines, 97.5 MW.

12. Noble Bliss Windpark, a Noble Environmental Power LLC project located in Wyoming County, Town of Eagle, operational as of 2008: 67 turbines, 100.5 MW.

13. Noble Chateaugay Windpark, a Noble Environmental Power LLC project located in Franklin County, Town of Chateaugay, operational as of 2009: 71 turbines, 106.5 MW.

14. Noble Clinton Windpark, a Noble Environmental Power LLC project located in Clinton County, Town of Clinton, operational as of 2008: 67 turbines, 100.5 MW.

15. Noble Ellenburg Windpark, a Noble Environmental Power LLC project located in Clinton County, Town of Ellenburg, operational as of 2008: 54 turbines, 81 MW.

16. Noble Wethersfield Windpark, a Noble Environmental Power LLC project located in Wyoming County, Town of Wethersfield, operational as of 2009: 84 turbines, 126 MW.

17. Sheldon Wind Project, also known as the "High Sheldon Wind Farm," an Invenergy LLC project located in Wyoming County, Town of Sheldon, operational as of 2009: 72 turbines, 112.5 MW.

18. Steel Winds I, a First Wind project located in Erie County, Town of Lackawana, operational as of 2008: 8 turbines, 20 MW. This windfarm, built on the site of an abandoned steel mill, was able to use as part of its infrastructure the old mill's road network and offsite transmission lines. It was the first commercial wind power project in the United States to be located on a former Superfund and industrial brownfields site. In 2007, it won Power Engineering Magazine's "Best Renewable Project of the Year Award."

19. Steel Winds II, a First Wind project located in Erie County, Town of Lackawana, operational as of 2012: 6 turbines, 15 MW.

20. Wethersfield Wind Farm, an Enel Green Power North America, Inc. project, operational as of 2000: 10 turbines, 6.6 MW.

Numerous other wind projects -- totaling more than 3200 MW -- are in various stages of development. More on these later.

Killing Frost 2012

Climate Change Comes to the Garden

The 2012 killing frost has long since passed, and a light blanket of snow covers my disheveled garden.  A bout of pneumonia has kept me from fall cleanup tasks.

Climate change came to my garden this year, disrupting plantings and growth and adding to the work involved, not the wholesome, joyful work of gardening, but the drudgery of pulling up dried-out plants despite constant watering.

I once read that climate change might bring new opportunities to central New York farmers; longer growing seasons and warmer temperatures might allow for the planting of crops that ordinarily cannot be raised here.

However, after experiencing on a very small scale the struggles that many of our farmers have had to contend with this year owing to wildly fluctuating temperatures, heat, and drought, any speculation  that climate change might bring beneficial economic change bears close scrutiny. While by midsummer, the mainstream media began paying much attention to the nationwide drought, the dry conditions in central New York really began last fall and continued on into winter and spring.  By summer, the ground was bone dry.

Spring came early; very warm days coaxed my pear blossoms out.  But the early warm days were only irregular spikes, followed each time by days of hard freeze. Petals drifted down like snow, and my two mature trees yielded  but one deformed pear.

French Breakfast Radishes

The pea and radish plants, in contrast, did surprisingly well, considering that they generally prefer cooler temperatures; while my bush beans languished in the hot, dry weather.  My pole bean vines on the other hand grew so long, they reached well beyond their tall teepees and up into the nearby trees.  Having expended so much effort on growing vines, they neglected to produce much in the way of beans.

Romano Pole Beans

 

Another surprise this year, the cucumber and zucchini plants grew remarkably well, along with the blue hubbard squash plants, notwithstanding shameful neglect, as I concentrated my watering efforts on the cucumber and tomato plants.

Just a few from bumper crop of cucumbers

Can you ever have too many zucchini? Yes!

The tomato plants produced abundant fruit, but it was smaller than usual and my best watering efforts were insufficient to forestall blossom end-rot.

Some Nice Tomatoes: Beef-Steak, Black Krim, and White Giant

Between the heat and drought,  many plants grew smaller, and then had rapid growth spurts whenever there was a bit of rain. It also seemed to me that some vegetables and herbs had a more bitter taste.

Even so, you can't beat homegrown fruits and vegetables. Squirrels agree; they carted off every single buttercup squash.

Biking Green: A Guest Post on Bamboo Bikes

Alert readers of Stories of the Road will recall that it was a broken freewheel that led Kara and Tom to divert off the 1976 Bikecentennial trail in Central Oregon to the nearest repair shop in Boise, Idaho, and from there, to make their own way cross-country.  Now, from FixieBikes.com -- a company based in Los Angeles, California, specializing in fixed-gear bicycles (bicycles without freewheels) -- comes a guest post written by Marissa Rosado, A Closer Look at a Bamboo Bike, a diversion to a more sustainable method of cycling.


You’ve always known riding your bike is better for Mother Earth than driving your Hummer to and from the grocery store. Why not take things a step further? Recent developments in bike manufacturing are opening up more opportunities to protect the planet with the added bonus of giving you a better ride.

Bamboo Bikes

Notoriously strong, bamboo makes an impressive bike frame. It’s light, and it looks nice. Once treated, bamboo is stiff, but not brittle, which helps the rider transfer pedaling power with more efficiency. Many have reported that the bamboo bike’s ability to dampen impact and vibration is mind-blowing. Bamboo is also extremely durable, resisting damage from impressive stress and impact. With its smooth, easy ride, an added perk to a bamboo bike is comfort, which is not to be underestimated.

Photo by Noah Scalin | Flickr.com

 

Making the Bike

For some, obtaining bamboo is as easy as retreating to their own backyards. Others find it growing wild in forested areas. What’s more impressive is the technique put into practice by Alexander Vittouris. Vittouris grows his bike bamboo into a mold. Once the bamboo is ready for harvest, there is very little processing left to do. This is the ultimate in environmentally friendly production. In place of nonrenewable sources and the harsh pollutants produced by factories, bamboo bikes leave a significantly smaller carbon footprint.

Zambikes

Bamboo in Zambia is like hipsters in Brooklyn: they’re everywhere. Two Americans sought to make something of this abundant resource after a visit to the country in 2004, and Zambikes was born. Though they do not produce fixed gear bikes, Zambikes builds custom bamboo bikes which not only puts Zambia on the map but also gives a much needed boost to Zambia’s economy.

When the company was founded, Zambian unemployment was somewhere over 60%. Zambikes provides employment, training, and opportunity to the Zambian population, which is an even more delicious bonus on top of the bike’s eco-cred.

Though the company currently does not have any dealers that ship to the U.S., the prospect is exciting. Be sure to look out for bamboo bikes in the future, as they may just be starting to gain traction.


Marissa Rosado is a writer on behalf of FixieBikes.com. She is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, MA.
Sources:

 

http://www.calfeedesign.com/products/bamboo/
http://imgur.com/a/SbtRy
http://www.psfk.com/2011/10/psfk-picks-top-five-bikes-made-of-alternative-materials.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/31/business/bamboo-bicycles-zambia-zambikes/index.html

Nature and Healing

A guest post on Project Kilimangaro, from participant Venita Ray.

Mt. Kilimangaro

In September 2011, I was part of a group of 13 dynamic women who traveled to Tanzania, Africa, to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. The inspiration for the climb was Becky Pope, a two-time survivor of ovarian cancer. Since September is ovarian cancer month, Becky hoped that the climb would bring awareness to ovarian cancer and inspire others to continue climbing the mountains in their own lives. Before joining Project Kilimanjaro, I could not spell "Kilimanjaro". I had no idea where Kilimanjaro was located or what I had gotten myself into. And I definitely did not know how much Project Kilimanjaro would change my life.

As I was about to learn, at 19,336 feet, Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest peak on the African continent and a Tanzania national park.

I was one of the Super Seven core group of women selected by Shana Ross to participate in the climb. Shana Ross is a fitness trainer in Houston, Texas, and owner of the Shana Ross Fitness studio. Shana knew about some of our personal struggles with health issues because we had all trained with her at the fitness studio. Our small group of women had survived cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, menopause, substance abuse, HIV, and obesity. Our common bond was that we had all used health and fitness to transform our lives. For almost six months, we trained together and prepared for the climb. To find out about more about these incredible women, visit the official official Project Kilimangaro website.

Following our arrival in Tanzania, we spent six days hiking, camping out with tents and sleeping bags, trying to breathe in high altitudes, and getting along without a bath or bathroom facilities. I was totally out of my element. I think my daughter said it best when she said, “mother, you are not the outdoorsy type.” However, I am sort of a fitness nut and yogi. I agreed to climb to challenge myself physically and to inspire others to never give up. I wanted to show others how I had used health and fitness to reclaim the power in my life after finding out in 2003 that I had HIV.

Since the climb, I have blogged about a number of insights and lessons I gained from the climb on my website, Venita's Kilimanjaro Project. Here is an excerpt from my blog of some of my experiences on Kilimanjaro.

We all felt pretty charged up on the first day of the climb at about 6,400 feet. I started off hiking with the ladies who gravitated to the front of our 17-member group. It should have been a pretty easy climb through the rain forest. But by the time we made it to camp about four hours later, I was feeling a little short of breath. Before setting out on day 2, I knew that I would need to hike at a slower pace.

Day 2 started at 9,020 feet and was the most difficult day of the climb for me. The climb was steeper and very rocky. I began to experience nausea from the altitude, had difficulty breathing, and hurt my chest and knee. Before climbing Kilimanjaro I considered myself physically fit. I loved the training and looked forward to the challenge of the climb. I could not believe I was having a hard time, and it was only the second day. And to make matters worse, everyone could see that I was having a hard time. By the time I went to my tent for the night, I could not put any weight on my right knee. I was afraid that I would not be able to continue. I rubbed my knee down with Arnica rub and wrapped it with an ace bandage. I went to sleep praying that it would be better in the morning. The next morning I was able to continue in spite of the pain.

For the rest of the climb, I had to let go of the image of myself as this fit person and just focus on taking a step and taking a breath. I was determined not to quit. The damage to my ego was worse that the pain to my body. I was nauseous all the time and could not take a deep breath because of the pain in my chest. I would later learn that I had a torn pectoral muscle and a sciatica injury. I did not talk much on the climb, and I did not take many pictures. I did not have the energy. I refused to share how I was feeling with the rest of the group. I tried to be gentle with myself and just accept that I was having a hard time.

By the time we reached Kibo, the final camp before summit on day 4, I knew I was out of gas. Kibo is situated 15,500 feet above sea level. I wanted to tell everyone that I was unable to go on, but I could not say the words. The same stubbornness and determination that kept me going would not let me give up now. I went to my tent and prayed. I finally decided that I was going to try to summit. I was still feeling nauseous, unable to eat and in pain. I put on my summit clothes and laid there until it was time to go. When it was time to go, I joined the most "poley poley" (Swahili for slowly slowly) group and started climbing. My right leg and glutes burned every time I took a step. And I was freezing. I climbed until my legs refused to go any further. I finally had to admit I could not continue and had to be taken down.

I insisted on walking down on my own but kept falling. Finally Freddie, my guide, took control and half carried me down. I cried for some time after reaching my tent, angry at my body for failing me. For months, I had visualized myself at the summit, arm-in-arm with the other ladies. I felt that the entire climb had been a failure.

It would be several days before I would realize that I had in fact reached the summit. I had reached MY summit. It was just not Kili's summit. I had given 150%. I had endured three and a half days of pain and altitude sickness, and had not given up. Even though I still hurt physically, I realized that the greatest bruise had been to my ego. I needed to be proud of myself and recognize that the whole trip and process to Kilimanjaro had not been a failure. My summit was still my summit. I was very happy for all of my Kili Dadas (Swahili for "sisters") for reaching their summits. My lesson was to let go of my ego and focus on what I had accomplished. I had come a long way. I learned later that I climbed to about 16,500 feet. Today, I am damn proud of that!

Venita on the mountain.

The process and actual climb to Kilimanjaro represented so many "firsts" for me. Public disclosure of being HIV+, first time in a tent, first time in a sleeping bag, first time hiking up any mountain, first time in Africa, and first time my passport has been stamped for international travel! All of these firsts occurred for me at age 53. It just goes to show it's never too late for new experiences and to truly live life! All in all, Project Kilimanjaro was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Killing Frost 2011: A #BAD11 Post

The killing frost has not yet arrived in Central New York, but it soon will, likely by next week, pretty much bringing an end to this year's adventures in the vegetable garden. Already the tomato plants and pumpkin vine have succumbed to a light kiss of frost, while the zucchini and snake gourd plants remain indecisive in their response. The eggplant and tomatillo plants seemingly deny the inevitable, continuing to set a prodigious quantity of fruit.

This year brought mixed results in my garden. Heavy snows collapsed our old greenhouse, so I spent quite a bit of time dismantling and salvaging the metal. I cleared more overgrown areas, digging up the fennel forest, but overhanging tree limbs shaded out some of my most fertile ground. Come spring, the scrub trees will have to be cut.

Animals came to visit, most vexing, a deer that in June ate up half the tomato plants and a good bit of lettuce. I researched remedies on the Internet and tried most of them, but I think that the one that did the most good (apart from closing the fence gate) was hanging little bundles of deodorant soap from the tomato support frames. It did give an appearance of voodoo, however.

Bird activity, crows, I imagine, also led to daily teeth-gnashing. The birds pulled up four successive plantings of corn. Not one seedling was left standing; all plucked up and cast down with complete disregard for my sincere and persistent efforts. The birds also took out half the eggplant and pepper seedlings, all of the brussel sprout seedlings, and one each of every other type of plant. Since it was too late to reseed the brussel sprouts, I went over to the farmer's market and brought 12 seedlings, fully expecting the birds to yank up most of them. However, the birds let them be, and now I have bushels of brussel sprouts awaiting harvest. I like brussel sprouts, but the quantity to be gathered is a bit extreme.

My scarecrow, entirely ineffective.

I was happy to see a toad hanging out around the garden; I haven't seen toads in our backyard in over 30 years. The rabbits, however, I chased away. Or maybe it was the neighborhood cat that kept them away. Having wiped out the mice and mole population last year, she keeps up with her patrols, but with no apparent success.

A new addition to the garden this year and very interesting, I must say, were the five tomatillo plants. I sprinkled the seeds on the ground in late May, and up came pencil-like stalks with a few leaves on top. They stayed that way for the longest time. Then in late summer, after a rainy spell, the plants exploded, growing over five feet tall and spreading around as much, producing the lovely green lanterns that house the developing fruits. According to the seed package, these were supposed to be purple plants with purple fruits, but they stayed bright green. There must be hundreds of the fruits.

I also tried growing Black Krim tomatoes, and I think I'll put them in again next year. The skin is a kind of brownish-reddish-green, and the fruit could be mistaken for rotten meat if you don't look closely enough, but they are very tasty. A hearty, good-eating tomato, but prone to splitting. The seed package displayed an average-size, round tomato, but my plants produced some odd-shaped fruits that easily weighed more than a pound a piece.

I had a good crop of cucumbers, tons of pole and bush beans (both stringless varieties, tender and delicate in taste), lots of herbs, peppers of all varieties, a good batch of eggplants (including the fairy tale variety that I probably wont bother with again), lots of radishes, and not so many carrots and beets (which I ascribe to the overhanging trees that are going to be going away).

Mid-summer, hanging out in the shade.

But most fun of all was the giant pumpkin. After every conceivable setback, the pumpkin plant came through with a 450-pound beauty.  Despite a late start due to unseasonably cold, wet spring weather; a 3-week-long mid-summer drought; a split main vine; and an attack by the dreaded SVB (squash vine borer) insects, the pumpkin just grew and grew. While giant pumpkins notoriously require quantities of fertilizer and pesticides, this guy got his food from a nearby rotting wood pile, minimal sprayings to treat the SVB, and a bucket of water every other day during the drought. He just wanted to thrive.

Which brings me to my #BAD11 question, doesn't everyone want to thrive? And if so, why aren't we paying more attention to the production and security of the food supply?

If the magnitude of the problems surrounding agriculture, food safety, and nutrition seems overwhelming and an individual's ability to influence them remote, then one place to begin is in the garden, whether in the backyard, front yard, or in a few containers on the patio or even indoors. Working the soil, following the weather, delivering water, observing plants grow, watching the fruits mature (and sometimes disappear or fail), and tasting the goodness of fresh produce, cannot help but lead to a greater understanding of the problems and joys of producing food, better decisions, better health, and wholesomeness.

To that end, we would do well to teach gardening in schools of every type, establish and support community gardens, and attach gardens to residential, educational, and institutional facilities. This would be a small, but effective step in restoring a healthy relationship with food.