The company building two wind farms in Cohocton will contribute $50,000 for restoration work at Memorial Town Hall in Naples.

The Town Board voted unanimously last week to accept the cash; otherwise, it would go back to Cohocton for historic preservation projects there.

The $50,000 is part of $200,000 UPC Wind agreed to set aside to compensate for the effect modern wind towers would have on the historic character of the area. Naples qualified for a share because one of the Cohocton turbines is visible when driving south through Naples on Main Street.

(Disclaimer: I speak for myself in this op-ed article, not anyone else).

The Bethany Open House passed without incident last night. Very few residents showed up to view the available report, so there are many copies left at the Town Hall (hint, hint, go get one while they're free).

TAXES

I will say I was unhappy with the cover letter that accompanied the reports last night -- it listed the tax inflation over the next twenty years as being 50%. Well, sure, but due to inflation EVERYTHING will go up 50% over the next twenty years. That does not necessarily mean that we need turbines to survive.

As we all know, building something is the easy part. It’s the maintenance and then the removal that is the real problem.

As a nation, for many years we have loved our automobiles. The looks of a bright shiny new car can set one’s heart fluttering. But when that same car has reached the end of it’s life and it no longer runs and is severely rusted, then what? Our solution has been to create sprawling junk yards full of these hulks. Even the best kept are certainly an eyesore. Recycle them, you say. We try and a certain number are indeed exposed to this solution, but only a few. Disposal of the unit after it has served it’s purpose is a paramount problem.

Effie, can you respond to this article? You've said several times that you "talked to people" and that townships recieved squat in terms of payments. Perhaps you should talk to these towns. Its amazing that use of such inefficient technology (as you would say not me) could yield such financial benefits to the community. Simply amazing.

http://www.pressrepublican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061130/NEWS/61130004

As I stood in my living room, talking to my family about something else, I saw a long, white, cylindrical object fly down the road in front of my home.

I jumped to my feet.

"Holy crap! That's a turbine tower section!" I almost yelled at my husband. We discussed it for a bit, couldn't figure out where on earth they would be heading that had already approved the monsters (at least in that direction) and decided it must be a cell or water tower section instead.

To begin with, I would like to make it clear that I am neither a lawyer nor an accountant, merely a concerned homeowner. But I have been looking into the financial operations of commercial wind farms and have learned several things that I would like to share with the community. Wind developers quickly see handsome profits, while many communities and property owners see little or nothing in the way of tax revenue, due to state and federal income tax shelters which are provided to the industry.

NYSERDA wants wind power in New York. In order to help get it, they're spending taxpayer money for a wind study of the entire state. However, that study has not yet been released.

I spoke with someone at AWS/Truewind some time ago. I was told that the study had been completed months ago, but NYSERDA wanted some 'tweaking' of the data. Mr. Briggs is perhaps a better person to ask about that than I -- I'm no meteorologist. Still, I am a computer scientist and 'tweaked' means to me that NYSERDA wants the data adjusted favorably for their preferred outcome. I'm sure that AWS will only tweak it within an acceptible range of variables, but still -- would you rather have 'tweaked' data or the original?

NYSERDA wants wind power in New York. In order to help get it, they're spending taxpayer money for a wind study of the entire state. However, that study has not yet been released.

I spoke with someone at AWS/Truewind some time ago. I was told that the study had been completed months ago, but NYSERDA wanted some 'tweaking' of the data. Mr. Briggs is perhaps a better person to ask about that than I -- I'm no meteorologist. Still, I am a computer scientist and 'tweaked' means to me that NYSERDA wants the data adjusted favorably for their preferred outcome. I'm sure that AWS will only tweak it within an acceptible range of variables, but still -- would you rather have 'tweaked' data or the original?

There were some interesting and thought provoking letters in the paper last week.

A young woman from Perry had a very well written letter published in three different papers. She spoke of “my generation’s future”, of alternative energy sources and she was insightful enough to make note of whose web site was on the local “No Turbine” signs. It was a very good piece. As the father of a daughter who can write well, I think her parents can be justifiably proud.

A wind farm is a large array of wind turbines designed for providing wholesale bulk electricity to utilities or an electricity market. This differs from a single or small handful of windmills typically setup to serve an individual or small enterprise.

Wind farms are usually owned by independent power producers which traditionally have sold their electricity to or by electric utilities. These facilities are grid-connected, meaning they are interconnected to the nationwide electricity transmission system. Wind farms vary in generating capacity from five to several hundred megawatts and may consist of wind turbines of the same or different models. The turbines are mounted on towers and often placed in arrays or clusters along ridge tops.