MAKING POWER on Earth Day Tug Hill Adirondacks

Went to talk shop with a colleague. Checked out a couple of microhydro systems, couple of residential wind + PV systems, and the BIG GUYS.

Those big wind-towers make me dizzy whenever I drive through them. They are impressive to look at, and also an enormous waste of money (mostly from tax-payers). I see a lot of old barns and farms getting fixed near them though on the Plateau. At least some of the local dairy farmers have gotten a few lease-bucks out of the deal.

Tell me what fuel you would use to feed the power hungry Big Apple. Each of the Townships that these are in are also enjoying the revinues and local taxes have dropped considerably, along with extra moneies for town parks and fire departments.Your wright about the farmers. It's about the only thing keeping them in business. Sure arn't making it selling milk!

I spent most of a long summer a few years back running those blades from Oswego to the wind farm....That is a beautiful area, and brutal in the winter. Nice folks too. Towards the end of the project folks were getting kinds sick of the delays tho.

Don't understand the waste of money comment tho.. Supposedly there is a payback time of less than ten years , then all the power is "free" (less maintenance, taxes, titles, donations to the governor, etc, etc..)

They make the liberals feel good.

The fine people of Lowville and surrounding communities were suppose to get a big break on power. Last time I talked with any of my friends up there, they say their still waiting. That farm is hugh. If you come into Lowville on RT 812 you can see them forever.

They are being built privately around here. They seem to pencil out now that a bunch of our old coal and oil plants lost their cheap fuel contracts.

I own two large properties right in them middle of the "big wind" project that never seems to end in Jefferson and Lewis counties. My taxes just went up substanitally for the first time in 20 years, not down.

ACG: should have popped in to my place--I can see those towers from my house, and I could show you a few of the hydro projects on the Beaver River. Even have a sawmill here that still works from hydro power, though the state's doing their best to put them out of business.

They put up a few of those wind mills a few hundred yards south of the Mackinaw Bridge here in Michigan. I think it KILLS the view of the straits area when coming over the bridge. The pictures of the bridge on post cards and tourist things will have them in the back ground.
I believe each mill can power 500 homes, but not mine 8 miles away!!

It is no secret that at this time, in the USA, a dollar spent on energy efficiency yields much more payback than money spent on alternative energy. Same goes with money spent on fossil-fuel assets that are untapped here.

As to these massive wind projects in the Lake Ontario region of New York? They are screwing-up forever one of the most beautiful areas in the State. Now, if it was really part of a long-time solution to energy problems, it might be worth it. But, it's not. Just "advertised" that way.

Guess who is actually making billions of dollars on them? Companies from England, Portugal, Brazil, and Spain.

Iberdrola Renewables Inc. is making huge profits, much from USA taxpayers and electric-rate payers. They are based in Spain.

Horizon Wind Energy is also making huge profits. They like to pretend they are a company from Texas, but they are actually based in Spain, Portugal, and Brazil.

BP Wind Energy is another one taking in tons of money. They call themselves "BP of North America." Who are they really? Originally was a German company who pretended to be British and sold oil from Iran. After several World Wars all assets were seized by Britain. Thus the "BP" really meaning "British Petroleum." Now? They like to say BP stands for "Beyond Petroleum."

If New York and the Federal government actually used the money forcibly taken from citizens and spent the money "in-house", I might complain a little less.

So, no. I don't see installing hundreds of 390 foot tall monsters that cost $3,000,000 each at start-up, and much more money down the road, as a great thing. Each tower can supply enough power for 500 homeowners of average electric usage. And, it will steadily increase everybody's electric rates, not lower them.

Leading politicians support these projects because they create the image of them actually using some astute planning for the future, which is very far from the truth.

One thing I notice all over the place. The people who seem to be the most vocal about supporting these huge boon-doggle projects are just about always using grid-power, and have done nothing on their own to support small-scale alternative energy. Big government-support projects good, and small, take-responsibility-for-yourself" bad?

I bet the greenies would not let them build those wind towers where they would spoil their view. We can build safe nuclear plants if we were allowed to.

I'd like to see those figures that show a 10 year payback. Those numbers are fudge, just like GM is doing now on its new commericials and its so-called "payback in full."

As of now, each tower costs $350,000 per year for 10 years. After that, with wear and replacement parts, the price goes up.

So, for the first BEST 10 years, it's taking $350,000 for each tower that serves 500 people.
That's around $700 for each household, per year. After that, it'll will go up. And the price projections do not take into account all the legal costs, government-related wastes involved, and all the new super-transmission lines being proposed.

I wouldn't call that "free energy."

This abundant feels pretty good about it. How long do you think cheap energy is going to last. And you capitalism, free enterprise huggers should like the companies springing into the money pool provided by us taxpayers...just like the farmers, they game the system that is put into place because what they provide is "too important" to all of us. You whiners about the "view" never objected to big billboards until Lady Bird Johnson tried to do something about it. I can see silos for miles and it spoils my view, too, but I grew up with it and didn't think to challenge them. When us old guys die off, the young ones will be used to the moving scultptures.

Tim; Planning another trip in may to check out the Bever River. E-mail me with an Address and ph# and I will look you up for sure. My buddy lives about 2 miles below the paper plant on a dirt rd.

ACG: who"s your buddy? Going to be traveling on business quite a bit in May so it might not work out, but there"s still a lot of hydro along the Beaver River, much of which you can see quite well from the road or easily get close enough to get a pretty good view.