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Alfred Community Wind Energy Meetings
Reviewed highlights of October Newsletter from Keith Pitman of Empire State Wind Energy Corporation. Key points raised:
- Considering 2 megawatt class of wind turbine for Alfred. Price of these currently dropping. Cost over $2,000,000 each and intended for long term (25+ years)
- Siting is very important to serve energy potential, nature and the public. ESWE looks forward to "any and all questions."
- Still collecting data. Will have sense of what size project might work in Alfred in six months or more. Price of energy tied to market and supply. This fluctuates and will affect project income and viability.
- It's winter! As a point of interest re: wind energy, the colder the temperature the heavier (more dense) the air. This results in the wind packing a bigger wallop on turbine blades and increasing output.
- Landowners being "identified and approached" about matter of leasing the right to place equipment on their land. These negotiations "respect the privacy of our landowning partners..."
"...All final specific sites must be and will be made public before they can be fully evaluated, approved, or endorsed by the community. We pride ourselves on what we refer to as 'community-based' development activities and processes."
Reviewed status of wind conversation/action occurring at Town Board and Town Planning Board. Tim Cochran reported that the planning board is looking at Wind Energy Law and Regulations prepared and passed by other towns. This opened up an exchange of questions and suggestions:
- point made that we need to write a law that serves and is specific to THIS community, its landscape and people. We should not write a law with any particular corporate relationship in mind. Corporations often change hands, merge, buy other corps. or are bought themselves.
- the law should be written to protect ALL the people of the town.
- questions arose about the legal relationship between state-owned Alfred State College and the Town of Alfred. How will a law of the Town affect or not affect state land? Inquiries will be made.
- had discussion about sound/decibel levels and distance regs. Point made that it is not only the audible sound that should determine safe distance from turbine to residences (set-back) but also sub-audible sound. Sound is merely the audible part of the air vibration spectrum. The body can "receive" other vibrational levels and can be negatively affected. This collection of effects has come to be called, "wind turbine syndrome." It isn't directly measurable, can't be quantified. It can affect susceptible people more than others.
Several persons present had the new book "Wind Turbine Syndrome" by Nina Pierpont and recommended it. This syndrome is now a factor in determining set-backs.
We briefly touched on the capacity of wind energy in the Northeast. It is not a region of the country especially well served with wind except in specific locations. Capacity (efficiency factor) was said to be about 20%.
We then broke up into selected working groups (economic considerations, environmental and human health matters, quality of life/community enhancement questions, and energy and carbon footprint impacts) to set a meeting time outside of this monthly gathering. People preferred to be working as a full group at monthly meetings.
The next meeting will take place at the Alfred Village Hall on January 21 at 7pm.
If you would like more information, you can contact Kim Donius, Vicky Westacott, or Peter McClain at alfred.wind.meetings@gmail.com |
