Wind Power

Every state in the northeast has set a target for increasing the amount of renewable energy it produces. Wind power is a big part of this push. Those towers and turbine blades can pose dangers to birds and bats. With more interest nationally in developing wind power, scientists are searching for more answers about the impacts, and how to minimize them.

The North Country is already home to the biggest wind farm in the east. Maple Ridge wind farm's 195 turbines tower over the Tug Hill Plateau in Lewis County. That's where David Chanatry visited to file this report as part of a collaboration of northeast stations. (Northeast environmental hub coverage is part of NPR's Local News Initiative.) More...

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says 14 more companies that have developed—or plan—major wind energy projects signed an ethics code yesterday. Under this agreement, these companies would face fines for violations like giving big gifts to local officials. The code also prohibits companies from hiring municipal employees or their relatives, or providing any compensation for municipal approvals. Jonathan Brown reports.

An investment group is looking at the shuttered General Motors engine plant in Massena as a potential manufacturing site for wind turbines. Jonathan Brown reports.

Last week in Watertown, Governor Paterson was asked for his opinion about the wind power projects near the St. Lawrence River in Cape Vincent, Clayton, and Hammond. He said wind power developers need to be “more careful about siting” in the region, given the St. Lawrence River’s “cultural and historic value”. That sounded extremely cautionary for a Governor who’s just proposed ambitious growth plans for wind and solar energy in New York. So David Sommerstein called Paul DeSotis, deputy energy secretary for Governor Paterson, to interpret the Governor’s remarks. Speaking while on a layover at National airport, DeSotis said Paterson was referring to wind power’s intermittency – wind turbines only make electricity when the wind’s blowing. And he was talking about bottlenecks in the state’s power grid that make it hard to send electricity from northern New York – where the wind is – downstate to where the most demand is.

We’re coming to the close of 2008. Today, we take a look back at some of the important stories we’ve covered here in the North Country. From the resignation of Eliot Spitzer and big victories for Democrats, to stunning conservation deals in the Adirondacks and vast wind farm projects across the rooftop of New York, to the fallout from the economic crisis, it was an historic year. Martha Foley is joined by David Sommerstein, here in our Canton studio, and Brian Mann, at our Adirondack bureau.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has developed a code of ethics for wind power projects in New York. The guidelines announced yesterday cover conflicts of interest between wind developers and local officials. They set fines of up to $100,000. Noble Environmental Power, which operates three wind farms in Clinton county, is one of two companies to sign on to the ethics code. But the agreement doesn’t end probes into potential wrongdoing. David Sommerstein reports.

For years, home wind turbines have been popular mainly with the off the grid crowd. But now there’s a new market: People who are tired of paying high electric bills. Wind proponents say new technology and government help could bring turbines to thousands of back yards in the Northeast. But there are some questions about whether household-sized wind will really work.
As part of collaboration with Northeast stations Vermont Public Radio's Steve Zind reports.

Iberdrola is one of the owners of the Maple Ridge wind farm on the Tug Hill Plateau. With 195 turbines spanning miles of ridgeline, it's the largest wind farm in the East. Bill Moore is an energy consultant for Iberdrola. Starting in the late 1990s, Moore was the man who went door-to-door to persuade local residents to welcome wind power. Today the project has been producing electricity for almost three years. David Sommerstein asked Bill Moore how it's been going. They talk about megawatts, bird and bat mortality, and the vicious debate over wind power in the North Country.

Since their conversation, the New York Times reported that Maple Ridge has been forced to shut down sometimes because regional electric lines have been too congested to send the power downstate. Moore wouldn't talk about the article on tape. But he did confirm that Maple Ridge has had to shut down its turbines "about half a dozen times a year." Moore said that happens during the spring and fall, when electricity demand is lowest. He said as more wind farms come online in Clinton and Jefferson Counties, the problem could get worse. He agreed with the basic premise of the Times story, that wind energy is hampered by "insufficient grid capacity" to deliver electricity from where the wind blows to where the most people are.

The northern chunk of the North Country is deep in the trenches of America’s debate over wind power. Global energy firms want to erect several hundred new giant windmills from Cape Vincent in the West to Clinton County in the East. The promise of renewable energy and a whole lot of money has crashed into worries about views, noise, birds, bats, property values – you name it. We’ve reported extensively on the pros- and cons- of wind power. You can listen to our ongoing coverage on our website, ncpr.org. Today we look at the life on – or maybe under - an industrial-size wind farm. The Maple Ridge wind farm’s 195 turbines have been spinning out power on the Tug Hill Plateau for almost three years now. David Sommerstein knocked on doors of the wind farm’s human neighbors.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is launching an investigation into a wind power developer in Clinton and Franklin counties. The probe will examine alleged conflicts of interest between Noble Environmental Power and local officials. David Sommerstein reports.