Tech Valley Gives Lift to Alternate Energy
Published Nov 05, 2008
Wind-energy projects now on the table could eventually power 1 million homes in New York.
The winds of change are blowing in energy production, and Tech Valley is catching the updraft.
Wind energy is becoming a viable source of electricity, and Tech Valley is at the forefront of the innovation.
At least eight wind farms now operate in New York, with several more under construction and dozens in the development stage. If the majority of those awaiting approval are built, 3,000 to 5,000 additional megawatts of wind-generating capacity could come online in the next five years, powering roughly 1 million homes and making New York one of the largest wind energy producing states in the eastern United States.
Wind-power proponents say the technology’s viability in Tech Valley is buoyed by the region’s high-wind locations in the Adirondack Mountains and proximity to power-hungry cities in the Northeast and on the East Coast.
Maple Ridge Wind Farm’s 195 turbines produce 321 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 100,000 homes.
“Wind is a clean fuel – clean and inexhaustible,” says Gary Davidson, public affairs manager for Horizon Wind Energy, which operates Maple Ridge on a 12-mile stretch of land in Lewis County on the outskirts of Tech Valley.
“It’s something we can take advantage of to supplement our other fuel sources, and we can diversify our fuel base so that we’re not so dependent on any one or two or three fuel types,” he says.
Horizon, which has offices in Albany, is one of the largest wind-energy companies in the country and the largest operator in New York. The company’s plans include Marble River Wind Farm, which will produce 200 megawatts of electricity in Clinton County.
General Electric Corp., a major presence in Tech Valley, has invested heavily in wind-energy resources. GE will open a wind-turbine service center in Tech Valley that will create 150 jobs.
The Wind Product Management and Customer Support Center will be at GE’s Renewables Global Headquarters at the company’s main complex in Schenectady.
That project will complement the wind-technology research and development already taking place there and at GE’s Global Research Center in Niskayuna in Schenectady County.
“The outlook is good for wind energy,” says Bruce Bailey, president and CEO of Albany-based wind energy consulting firm AWS Truewind. “The overall global wind industry continues to grow at a 30 percent-per-year clip, and this pace will likely continue for several years.”
Wind energy represents about 1 percent of the overall electricity generated in New York. And many believe that number figures to go nowhere but up.
“The industry will shift: now, it’s very development focused,” Davidson says. “That will sort of transform over time to become more operational as wind farms are constructed and wind becomes more of an established energy industry.”
Bailey notes that New York is home to a growing service sector in renewable energy, and that as a technology-oriented state with a strong university system, it is in good position to capture more “green-collar” jobs.
“Collectively, we’re good problem-solvers and opportunists at the same time, leading to a climate of innovation,” he says.
More Insight: A Strong Breeze
Since 2000, wind power is among the fastest-growing energy sources in New York.
More than 246 megawatts of wind generation have been installed in the state since the start of the decade, generating enough electricity to serve more than 70,000 average homes.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority estimates that 5,000 megawatts of land-based and 5,200 megawatts of offshore wind potential exist, enough to meet 20 percent of New York’s Power.
Source: Alliance for Clean Energy New York
Story by Michaela Jackson
Photo by Staff
Current Weather Conditions In Albany, NY (12205)
Cloudy, and 38 ° F. For more details?
Click here...
