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ROTTERDAM
Towns consider wind farm law
Proposal prompts discussion of regulation
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Wind farm projects may be some time away in Schenectady County, but planners in both Princetown and Rotterdam are considering regulations for them now.
    Officials from both municipalities are planning talks about potential regulations for wind energy development projects. The topic came up last month when Reunion Power, a Vermont-based project development service, proposed building a 197-foot temporary meteorological tower in Pattersonville.
    Company officials indicated the proposed tower would monitor wind at a 1,300-foot elevation near an existing cellular tower off Crawford Road. At its widest point, the tower would be 8 inches in diameter. It would relay wind data to the company via satellite connection, town officials said.
    Reunion executive Steve Eisenburg said the proposed monitoring station is only the first step in a very long process that may or may not yield a project. He said determining the level of wind in an area is a key elements before any project advances.
    “We’re just cracking this open to see if it’s feasible,” he said this week.
    Even if the Rotterdam Planning Board approves the test tower, Eisenburg said, Reunion wouldn’t build it until the spring. He said the company would then monitor data and trends at the site for at least a year before making a determination whether to proceed with any project.
    But the concept of a wind farm on the outskirts of town prompted Rotterdam officials to investigate a local law regulating these. And because the area proposed for the monitoring station is near the border with Princetown, Rotterdam officials invited those officials into the discussion.
    Wind tower regulations are also being explored in Duanesburg. Supervisor Rene Merrihew said the town will likely adopt regulations patterned after several towns in New York already contending with large wind farm proposals. She said the time seemed right, considering the town is already reviewing its comprehensive plan.
    “It’s a good time to get something on the books,” she said Thursday. “We’re in a rural area conducive to wind.”
    Though no formal wind farm is proposed in Schoharie County, Reunion Power is studying possible sites in the towns of Fulton, Jefferson and Richmondville. All three towns are in the process of developing ordinances to regulate commercial wind projects.
    Proposed regulations in Richmondville have been met with significant criticism; opponents argue the towers should be built thousands of feet away from residential areas. Reunion has suggested building 28 wind turbines on the Warnerville hills between Richmondville and Fulton.
    Reunion has already helped develop a pair of large wind farm projects in Minnesota and Iowa, according to the company’s Web site. The company operates 147 turbines in Lake Benton, Minn., which generate roughly 107 megawatts of energy; in Storm Lake, Iowa, Reunion generates about 80 megawatts at a farm with 107 turbines.
    In New York, the company is a partner in a project that would erect 10 wind turbines on Gore and Pete Gay mountains in Warren County. Reunion was also attempting a 24-turbine project in the town of Cherry Valley in Otsego County; setback rules imposed by the town effectively blocked the project as originally planned.
    Rotterdam Town Planner Pete Comenzo said commercial wind tower development brings with it issues including performance standards and setbacks. He said the only local ordinance now governing wind turbines is the town’s cellular tower law.
    This ordinance allows the development of towers in the town’s agricultural and industrial zones. Though there is no maximum size in the ordinance, towers cannot be located any closer to an adjacent property than the distance equal to the tower’s height.
    “It’s something that has come up recently and it’s certainly become a hot topic not only in the Capital Region, but in New York and the country as a whole,” he said.
Reach Gazette reporter
Justin Mason at 395-3113 or
jmason@dailygazette.net.

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The potential impacts from this initiative could make the Wal-mart supercenter thing pale by comparison.  

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The potential impacts from this initiative could make the Wal-mart supercenter thing pale by comparison.

Quoted from Michael

I'm a little surprised that no one had any comments on this topic.  This is an issue that should be watched carefully going forward.  The potential impacts from this initiative could make the Wal-mart supercenter thing pale by comparison.  

Development of appropriate performance standards and setbacks, as our Planner points out, are critical to proper regulation.

I am heartened to see coordination with surrounding communities being considered and it appears Duanesburg may be out in front already.

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Here's an idea for you Rene, start putting up windmills that double as cell phone towers!

Quoted from bumblethru

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.  

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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ROTTERDAM GE'S WIND TURBINE PLANS MOVE FORWARD

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.

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EDITORIALS Catch the wind in N.Y. and Sch’dy

    Wind energy is important to the country, which is why Congress should renew federal tax credits when they expire at the end of the year. It is also important to New York state and Schenectady, which is why the proposed takeover of Energy East by the Spanish utility Iberdrola should be approved, and why Schenectady’s colleges should be joining with General Electric to train workers for this emerging industry.
    The utility deal would be good for the state’s environment (less burning of climate-changing fossil fuels) as well as its economy. Iberdrola is the world’s fourth-largest utility and the leader in wind power, and wants to invest approximately $2 billion in wind energy in upstate New York over the next five years. Not only would this help the state achieve its laudable goal of getting 25 percent of its energy from renewables by 2013, it would be good for companies that make, maintain and service windmills — like GE, whose Renewables Division is located in Schenectady and in the last year has added 650 jobs high-paying, white-collar jobs.
    Although the proposal has been approved by the federal government and other states in the Energy East service area, the state Public Service Commission might reject it based on a 10-year old state policy that says a utility that distributes power can’t also produce it. In addition to sacrificing all those environmental and economic benefits, rejection would send the usual signals about New York’s business-unfriendliness. If necessary, the Legislature should modify the policy so the deal can happen.
    If it does happen, a lot of technicians will be needed. In fact, they are already in such demand worldwide that GE’s vice president for renewables just promised to hire every graduate from such a program at a community college in New Mexico for the next three years.
    Metroplex Chairman Ray Gillen, who is also a trustee of Schenectady County Community College, would like to see that college have similar programs — not just for field technicians, who tend to leave after graduation, but for higher-end engineering, diagnostics and sales jobs, where they would be more likely to stick around and work for GE or some other high-tech company. He thinks a collaboration among SCCC, Union College, Union Graduate College (which is already placing more focus on green technology business) and GE, partly funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, is a natural. We agree.

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ROTTERDAM
Wind power project eyed GE’s proposal for giant turbine gets favorable reception
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

A landmark wind turbine just shy of 400 feet high on the General Electric property off Interstate 890 was described Tuesday to the Rotterdam Planning Commission.
The Capital Region’s first industrial-sized wind turbine will eventually provide about 3 percent of the plant’s energy needs.
    The enormous turbine will extend 397 feet from the tip of its rotor to the base of a 250-foot tower, according to plans. GE will construct it near where the Navy test facility once stood, about 800 feet away from the access road running parallel to Interstate 890.
    “This is a brand new project that hasn’t ever been done in the Capital Region,” project development manager Ty Remington told commission members. “The town symbol is the windmill and I think this ties quite nicely into that image.”
    Remington said the turbine would generate about 2,300 megawatt hours of electricity each year. He said the electricity will be used to power the company’s Renewables Global Headquarters.
    The turbine will be equipped with a wind sensor that can determine the optimal direction to face the rotor. The rotor can move in a full circle for a total of nine complete turns before automatically unwinding itself.
    At some point, the company plans to build a visitors’ center near the turbine. Remington said the turbine would also be a showpiece for wind energy.
    “It kind of sets the stage for new renewable energy projects in the area,” he said.
    The proposed turbine will be nearly identical to one GE constructed at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Massachusetts. Dubbed the “Zephyr” by the resort, the tower produces about 33 percent of the total electricity used there and cost about $3.9 million.
    Company officials said the project in Rotterdam will be considerably less difficult to build, given the flat topography of GE’s sprawling 628-acre plant and its location near a major highway. The project was tentatively set for completion sometime by summer 2009.
    The project will be the first to face scrutiny under a wind energy ordinance now being drafted by the town. Town Planner Peter Comenzo said the new law will likely be adopted before the commission’s review of the turbine project is completed.
    Remington said GE was aware of the draft ordinance and had been making plans in anticipation of its being ratified. For instance, he said, the company has already determined it can build turbines on only a sliver of its property due to the setbacks proposed in the law.
    “At most, you could get two or three more,” he said. “But at this time, there are no plans to build more.”
    GE officials are planning to show a video demonstration of the Jiminy Peak turbine during the commission’s meeting in July.
    Commission members were generally receptive to the proposed turbine. Chairman Lawrence DiLallo said the project would provide an excellent model for other renewable energy efforts in the area.
    “It’s a very exciting project,” he said. “I know both county and local officials are very in favor of this project.”     

Quoted from Salvatore

studies have shown that Schenectady county is not viable for wind. Didn't they check with Madame Savage? Hahahha  ;D

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SCHENECTADY
GE gets nod for green growth
Old warehouse to house solar, wind endeavors
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    General Electric won permission from the city Wednesday to recycle an old warehouse for its Renewable Energy division.
    GE is turning a relic from the days of its foundry into a $39 million, state-of-the-art office building. In an ambitious construction schedule, officials plan to move the first scientists there this December.
    The workers will be among the first increase in the force at the plant in many years. The plan also bucks GE’s trend of demolishing buildings at its site. Instead, for the first time in decades, GE will add to its campus.
    The addition will be small — a 19,000-squarefoot atrium attached to the warehouse. In it workers will showcase a nearlyfour-story model of a wind turbine.
    Outside, they will demonstrate various solar panels, each 8 feet tall and 20 feet long. Some will be fixed in place while others will move with the sun, allowing customers to see exactly what they could purchase.
    The Schenectady Planning Commission unanimously approved the project Wednesday without any criticism. The commission actually wanted to accept the project a month ago but was stopped at the last minute because the county Industrial Development Agency had not yet voted to become lead agency and certify that the project would not cause any signifi cant environmental impacts.
    The technicality made General Electric spokesman Cliff Barber anxious. He told the commission that he needed permission to start work soon if he was to stay on schedule. Commissioners offered to hold a special meeting as soon as the IDA voted.
    But it turned out the IDA’s hands were tied as well. That agency could not take the simple step of declaring lead agency status until all other agencies agreed to back off. The issue is normally not a problem, but members never heard back from the Department of Environmental Conservation. The worker who was supposed to send a letter of approval to the IDA was on vacation.
    Metroplex Development Authority Chairman Ray Gillen expressed frustration at the long delay, particularly since it involved General Electric. City and county officials spent years lobbying the company to expand its presence in Schenectady, and he said he couldn’t believe that long process was placed on hold by one simple governmental letter.
    But it all ended well.
    Eventually, the letter arrived, the IDA voted, the commission was able to give GE the green light and Barber said everything would turn out fine.
    “Obviously every job has its pitfalls,” he said after Wednesday’s vote. “The expectation still is we’ll get the people in there on time.”

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WINDS OF CHANGE

Posted on: 06/25/08
Ross Marvin, Spotlight Staff
email: marvinr@spotlightnews.com

Officials from General Electric Energy made their first public presentation to the town on a proposed towering wind turbine that would be built on company property off Interstate 890.

The turbine’s 130-foot blade will sit atop a 250-foot tower. The tower will stand 397 feet from the ground when its construction is complete. If the project moves forward successfully, GE officials are hopeful that the turbine could be operational by the end of the summer in 2009.

GE officials said the tower will be built 800 feet from an access road running parallel to I-890 where a former Navy test facility and X-ray facility once stood.  

At the Rotterdam Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, June 18, project development manager Ty Remington said the tower, which would generate 2,300 megawatt hours electricity each year and power 3 percent of GE’s plant, would be the first in the Capital District.

“This is a brand new project that has never been done in the Capital Region,”  said Remington. “Rotterdam’s town seal is the windmill … this takes that into the future.”

The power generated by the turbine will be used to power GE’s Renewable Energies Headquarters.

According to Remington, GE currently has 8,000 of the 1.5 megawatt towers producing clean energy around the world.

Remington said he would be interested in sharing a video at the planning commission’s next public meeting in July that details the construction of an identical GE wind turbine erected at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Massachusetts.

That $3.9 million tower, called the “Zephyr,” produces about a third of the total energy used at the ski resort.

The planning commission said they thought viewing the video would give the public a better sense of the construction process and total size of the turbine.

Planning Commission Chairman Larry DiLallo called the proposed wind turbine an “exciting new project.” He said the town is taking steps to pass a new wind ordinance similar to one passed earlier this month by neighboring Duanesburg.
This would be the first project falling under the new law’s jurisdiction.

Town Planner Peter Comenzo said the new law would likely be adopted before the town’s review of the GE project is completed.

GE officials said they were making their plans in accordance with a potential change in town code.

When asked if GE would consider placing more turbines on its 628-acre plant, Remington said he thought a wind ordinance would allow only limited construction of wind turbines on it’s plant.

“At most we could build two or three more,” said Remington. “But we have no plans at the current moment.”

Remington said he anticipated that the turbine would be a showcase piece for both customers and tourists in the region.

He said that in the future GE may construct a visitor’s center to encourage school field trips and attract people from around the region who are interested in learning about the tower.

The planning commission declared itself lead agency for the project. Chairman DiLallo said that all interested and involved parties at the town, state and federal level would be notified.

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ROTTERDAM WIND LAW GATHERS STEAM

Posted on: 07/09/08
Ross Marvin, Spotlight Staff
email: marvinr@spotlightnews.com

Rotterdam is moving forward with its draft of a town ordinance that would regulate wind turbines.

At its meeting on Wednesday, July 9, the town board is expected to send the proposed law to the Planning Commission for a report and recommendation.
Supervisor Steven Tommasone said that town attorneys are still in the process of refining some of the law’s language.

As it stands, the proposed law closely mirrors Duanesburg’s new wind ordinance, which was passed last month.

Like Duanesburg’s law, Rotterdam’s proposed ordinance puts wind turbine projects into two categories — large and small.

Any development designed to generate more than 100 kilowatts in an hour is considered a “Wind Energy Facility.”  Projects on a lesser scale are called “Small Wind Energy Facilities” and are required not to produce more than 100 kilowatts of energy.

Large turbines can be no more than 500 feet tall, with the tip of the rotor or blade system no lower than 30 feet from the ground. Smaller projects will not exceed 200 feet in height, with their blades no lower than 15 feet from the ground.

The larger Wind Energy Facilities must be located at least 1,500 feet away from residences and 500 feet from off-site property boundaries or public roads.

All towers must be white in color.

Proposed towers will also be subject to state environmental reviews, including studies on visual impact and effect on local bird populations.

The law also establishes a fee for projects. Large project developers would pay a permit fee equal to $500 per megawatt of proposed turbine capacity. Smaller project applicants would pay a flat fee of $100. According to the proposed law, the permit fee would offset any internal permit processing costs borne by the town.

If Rotterdam passes the proposed wind ordinance later this month it would become only the second municipality in Schenectady County to do so.

The proposed law coincides with the town’s first major commercial wind tower proposal.

Last month, representatives from General Electric Co. went in front of the Rotterdam Planning Commission to propose a 397-foot tall, 1.5-megawatt wind tower.

The tower would be built on company property off Interstate 890. The turbine’s location would be 800 feet from an access road running parallel to the highway, according to project manager Ty Remington.

At that meeting, Town Planner Peter Comenzo said the new law would likely be completed and adopted before the town’s review of the project is completed.

GE officials said they were making their plans in accordance with the potential change in town code.

The town is also likely to execute a contract with GE to appoint engineering firm Barton & Loguidice to perform technical review services for the wind tower project at its Wednesday meeting. GE will pay Barton & Loguidice for their services in an amount not to exceed $20,000.

Quoted from Salvatore

Schenectady County is not good for wind, according to Savage.

Quoted from Rene

She should take a ride out to Duanesburg on any given day.  Ride up on Scotch Ridge and over toward Mariaville.  It is almost always 6 to 10 degrees cooler out here then it is in Schenectady.  Each time you crest a hill there is a distinct difference in temperature and wind.  

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PSC should approve deal to let Iberdrola build windmills

    The state Public Service Commission still hasn’t approved the proposed purchase of the utility Energy East by Iberdrola, a Spanishbased multinational corporation, but PSC staff, previously opposed, is now said to be at least open to it. That is welcome news, regardless of whether it’s because PSC staff has actually seen the light or just doesn’t want to be blamed for “losing Iberdrola” and all future investment by it in New York — which the company threatens will happen if the deal isn’t approved.
    Iberdrola isn’t just one of the world’s biggest suppliers of energy, it is the leading supplier of wind energy. And New York state has an official goal of getting 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources such as wind power by 2013. That is one of the reasons General Electric chose to locate its renewables headquarters and wind operations, the fastest-growing part of its entire business, in Schenectady, and just announced that it will spend $100 million to build three wind farms in upstate New York. Presumably, it also has something to do with Iberdrola’s wanting to come here and invest $2 billion over the next five years, building and operating wind turbines.
    But rather than welcome them with open arms, the PSC staff gave them the stiff-arm. If you want to buy Energy East, you will have to give up your current half-interest in a wind farm in northern New York, it told them, and pledge not to build any other wind farms in the state. And those $200 million in “benefits” you promised to your new customers, including a 4 percent rate reduction? Not good enough. Make it at least $600 million, it told them.
    The forced divestiture and forswearing of wind farms stems from a policy the PSC adopted in 1996 that says a company that transmits and delivers power can’t also produce it. The idea was to reduce rates and improve service by introducing competition into the utility system, which until then had been a regulated monopoly.
    Deregulation hasn’t been a total failure, but it hasn’t been a huge success, either. The flexibility it was supposed to bring for consumers has brought mostly confusion, and rates remain high. The energy industry is also rapidly changing, with everyone looking to develop alternative sources, use new technologies and be more efficient. So there’s no need to rigidly adhere to rules put forth by the PSC 12 years ago, especially when there’s a chance of getting a successful, respected company like Iberdrola to make such a major investment here.
    PSC staff has indicated that, while it still has problems with Iberdrola owning windmills, it is willing to compromise. That’s fine, as long as it’s a compromise Iberdrola can live with.

Quoted from papanetta67

rynex corners road

Quoted from Rene

Isn't Rynex Corners Road IN Rotterdam? or is that Princetown?

Quoted from bumblethru

Where the heck is there even a place for wind turbines?

Quoted from Salvatore

yeah but I dont want to have th codes so ridiculous that no one will build them, like the way the neighbiors get over everything else. There are so many rules that make it impossible for people to even put the solar or whatever on the houses over here. The neighbors are called N.I.M.B.Y. for a reason they dont want nothing! For instance my friend I read about the guy on Albany who wanted the solar on his house, and he went to the city but the neighbors said it was ugly, and the city held him up for a year and cost him the lawyer fees ect. If you make it so hard nobody will do anything. Mike wanted a total moratorium one time on everything from a new fence to a tool shed so I am not sure I would go that far Mike sorry. The wind and that is progress so we need to keep the options open for the people to get it so that we can get a lower price on energy in the future, not be stuck with the NiMO holding us hostage like they do

Quoted from Rene

Bum, good question, my gut tells me no.  Let me email our assessor and I will get back to you.

Quoted Text

Offshore wind power projects gain advocates
BY STEPHANIE S. GARLOW The Associated Press

    WASHINGTON — Visitors to Rehoboth Beach, Del., soon may be greeted by more than sand dunes, seagulls and beach umbrellas. If offshore wind advocates have their way, scores of 140-foot blades will be spinning in the ocean breeze nearly a dozen miles away, barely visible to the sunbathers.
    Offshore wind has taken a back seat to offshore drilling for oil and natural gas in the current energy debate. But those winddriven turbines probably will be operating long before oil platforms appear off Atlantic Coast states.
    Delaware hopes to be the first state to construct a wind farm off its coast. The project, scheduled to be completed in 2012, is one of several offshore wind proposals that have cleared significant hurdles in recent months.
    Proponents say wind offers more longterm energy independence than offshore oil. Residents along the Eastern seaboard are embracing it as a stable-priced, environmentally friendly energy alternative.
    “When people see the price of gas hit $4, they are very open to having discussions about alternatives,” said Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a nonprofit group.
    Wind energy today accounts for only 1 percent of the nation’s electricity. A May report from the Energy Department concluded wind energy could generate 20 percent by 2030, with offshore sources accounting for nearly 20 percent of that. Projects mostly would be located along the Atlantic coast because the seabed floor elsewhere drops off too quickly to anchor turbines.
    In Delaware, offshore wind has caught everyone’s imagination, said Patricia Gearity, a member of Citizens for Clean Power, a grass-roots organization based in the state.
    “People liked that it was homegrown wind, that we weren’t going to import it from somewhere else,” said Jeremy Firestone, a professor of marine policy at the University of Delaware.
    Offshore wind supporters say recent proposals have not faced the same kind of opposition that previously dogged projects off Massachusetts’ Cape Cod and New York’s Long Island. But even on Cape Cod, attitudes are changing. Where critics once held a floating anti-wind farm demonstration, polls show that public opinion has swung in favor of an offshore project.
    The Long Island project was scrapped last year. But fishermen in neighboring New Jersey who once opposed offshore wind power have banded together to submit one of five bids for a 350-megawatt wind farm that would produce enough electricity for up to 100,000 households. Rhode Island may select a developer this fall for a wind energy project.
    Delaware residents took to the blogosphere, called their legislators and turned out in droves at public hearings to push for the proposed project off Rehoboth Beach. It stalled last year, but months of negotiations and strong grass-roots organizing resulted in its approval by the Delaware Legislature in June.
    “During that period of time, you saw headline after headline roll out about the increase in prices, not only in oil, not only in gas, but the big spike in natural gas and propane costs,” said Gearity, a 58-year-old retired lawyer.
    The project, proposed by Bluewater Wind, would include between 60 and 200 wind turbines spaced about a half mile apart. Delmarva Power has agreed to buy electricity from the project for 25 years. Bluewater is owned by the global investment firm Babcock & Brown, which operates wind farms in several states.
    For each turbine, a pole would be hammered about 90 feet below the seabed floor. Another pole would rise above the water with three 140-foot spinning blades at the top. At the highest point, the turbines would reach up about 400 feet; by comparison, the Washington Monument is about 555 feet.
    Unlike its mid-Atlantic neighbor, the Cape Cod project has faced vocal and well-funded opponents who complained it would mar the ocean vista. Rising energy prices have made that argument less persuasive, said Barbara Hill, executive director of Clean Power Now, an independent Hyannis, Mass.-based organization that favors the project.
    The 130-turbine project has now cleared most of the regulatory hurdles and proponents are hopeful it will be in operation within four years.
    Cape Wind Associates, a subsidiary of the New England power company Energy Management Inc., has spent more than $30 million on the Massachusetts project, investing profits from its natural gas-fired power plants, said Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rodgers.
    In New Jersey, Daniel Cohen, the president of the offshore wind developer Fishermen’s Energy, said the organization reassessed its opposition, deciding to view offshore wind as an opportunity, not a threat.
    “The public has a heightened interest to finding solutions in what it sees as a growing problem in our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Cohen, who owns Atlantic Capes Fisheries in Cape May, N.J. Fishing company owners have put up the money for the project’s development stage.
    Significant obstacles to offshore wind still remain.
    Policymakers and utility companies need to commit to long-term contracts, said Firestone, the University of Delaware professor. He pointed out that New Jersey and Rhode Island still do not have buyers for the power from the proposed projects.
    There also needs to be more stability in the federal government’s support for wind power, said Laurie Jodziewicz, manager of siting policy at the American Wind Energy Association. When Congress allowed a renewable energy tax credit to expire in the past — in 2000, 2002 and 2004 — wind capacity installation dropped 93 percent, 73 percent and 77 percent respectively from the previous year. A current tax credit is set to expire Dec. 31.
    Proponents point out that most of the technology hurdles have been cleared, though costs remain high. They look at the almost 1,100 megawatts of offshore wind farms in European waters and say the Cape Cod and other projects could jump-start offshore wind energy in the United States.
    “This will be a game-changer once this project is built,” said Hill, the Cape Wind advocate. “We are going to be dancing on Craigsville Beach someday, looking out and seeing the turbines spinning.”


PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUEWATER WIND The Nysted Offshore Wind Farm in Denmark is an example of the offshore power-generation installations being proposed in the Northeast.

Quoted from bumblethru

Now we will have to see if there really will be a savings with a wind turbine on our property. Not to mention...it may not be a selling point for a prospective buyer of a home with one. It may be a deterrent. It doesn't seem so appealing to me right now. I have to hear more.

Quoted from Rene

To Michaels point, what happens when your neighbor constructs a 200 foot wind tower next doorand three years later it falls over on your house or a blade comes off and kills your dog or your child?  What happens when it is constructed and it is located in such a way that there is "light flicker" throughout your entire house that drives you so crazy you end up either in an insane asylum or living with your blinds pulled all day, every day?  As much as I try to keep government involvement at a minimum there are times when you need some performance standards in place.

Quoted from bumblethru

I don't live there and never go there. Just like you Kevin...there is nothing to draw me there. Perhaps a good place for wind farms though, huh?

Quoted Text

ROTTERDAM
Town sets rules for wind turbines
Board approves ordinance governing business, residence use
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.

    Rotterdam officials have ratified the town’s first wind energy ordinance, establishing rules for developing both industrial- and residential-use turbines.
    After roughly three months of planning, members of the Town Board soundly approved the measure during their meeting Wednesday. The 18-page law gives the Planning Commission oversight for all wind energy projects, while including a more streamlined process for residential-sized turbines.
    “I’m excited we passed it,” said Supervisor Steve Tommasone. “It’s going to offer the town some tremendous opportunities in the future.”
    With the adoption of the law, Rotterdam joins Duanesburg in having such regulations. Town Board members in Princetown are expected to adopt a similar law drafted by Todd Mathes, a municipal attorney who helped Rotterdam and Duanesburg craft their ordinances.
    Smaller wind turbines are defined as generating less than 100 kilowatts of energy in an hour and face considerably less oversight during the planing process, according to the law.
    Large turbine projects will face greater scrutiny, including an indepth visual impact analysis and an assessment of potential electromagnetic interference and potential shadow flicker on residences and roads. These projects will also be responsible for paying a $500 fee for each megawatt of nameplate capacity, where as smaller turbines face a flat fee of $100.
    The law sets the maximum turbine height for large wind turbine developments at 500 feet and prohibits any of the blades from extending lower than 30 feet from the ground. Smaller turbines are limited to 200 feet, with blades no less than 15 feet from the ground.
    Large developments must be located at least 1,500 feet away from residences and a minimum of 500 feet away from public roads or off-site property boundaries. In contrast, small wind turbines and measurement towers would need to be located at a distance 1 /2 times their height.
    Town Planner Peter Commenzo said several homeowners have approached the town’s public works department inquiring about the ordinance. However, he said the town hasn’t received any proposals for small turbines.
    Town officials have already been approached by a pair of companies investigating wind energy projects.
    In April, representatives from General Electric proposed building a 397-foot turbine about 800 feet away from the access road running parallel to Interstate 890.
    Last month, the company pulled the application after the Federal Aviation Administration determined that the gigantic tower would extend about 77 feet into restricted airspace around the county airport in Glenville. Company officials are still planning to build the turbine but on property within the city of Schenectady.
    Rotterdam is also awaiting results from a company testing wind currents in Pattersonville. Reunion Power, based in Vermont, was approved to build a 197-foot temporary meteorological tower off of Crawford Road.
    Reunion executive Steve Eisenburg said his company will continue to monitor wind at the 1,300-foot elevation until spring 2009. He said he’s reviewed drafts of Rotterdam’s ordinance and considered it comprehensive.
    “It’s obvious they’ve had good input from good people,” he said Wednesday. “We’ll look closely to see what the town approves.”

Quoted from Rene

It is interesting to note that while Duanesburg, Rotterdam, and Princetown have been left on their own to deal with this issue and come up with our own plan, Schoharie County has a model wind law available online for all their towns to utilize.  They can pick and choose what parts of the ordinance are appropriate for their own use.  

Quoted from Kevin March

That's because in Schoharie County, the County cares about all parts of the county.  Not like it is here in Schenectady County, where they don't care about R'dam, P'town and D'burg.

Quoted Text

Wind farm being studied

By LARRY RULISON, Business writer
First published in print: Tuesday, October 21, 2008

ROTTERDAM — A Vermont wind energy company is in the very early stages of developing a wind farm in Schenectady County.
     
A site for a 79.2-megawatt wind farm is being studied in the towns of Rotterdam and Princetown by Reunion Power LLC of Manchester.

Steve Eisenberg, Reunion's managing director, said the company has not yet acquired land for the project, although a meteorological tower has been erected to collect data.

The 197-foot tower is located off Crawford Road in Pattersonville near the border of Rotterdam and Princetown.

"We're pursuing options and leases (on land)," Eisenberg said Monday.

A 79.2-megawatt wind farm would have between 30 and 50 wind turbines, depending on the size of the machines.

Such a development could power about 20,000 homes, although it's important to note that Reunion has not determined the actual size or scope of the project — or if it even plans to move forward.

"Like a lot of companies, we are pursuing the possibility of wind power in New York," Eisenberg said.

Reunion is also working to develop projects in Warren and Otsego counties. The Warren County project is a 30-megawatt wind farm proposed for north of Gore Mountain.

Eisenberg said Reunion has not submitted formal plans to the towns of Princetown or Rotterdam. The company has yet to decide if the project is feasible both in terms of the amount of wind available in the area and its economics.

The project has been dubbed Gateway Wind Energy, according to a filing made with the New York Independent System Operator, the East Greenbush nonprofit group that oversees the state's electrical grid.

The Reunion project is not the only Schenectady County wind project under consideration. General Electric Co. also is planning to erect a wind turbine in Schenectady at its GE Energy plant there. The two projects are not related.

Reunion is affiliated with Edison Mission Group, the fifth largest owner of wind energy projects in the United States, with 14 projects totaling 654 megawatts, the company says.

Quoted Text

Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947, Skegness, Lincolnshire, England) is a rock and roll vocalist and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and with several bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Impellitteri and Alcatrazz.