Apparently, the New York State Thruway Authority thinks it can get a little greener by constructing wind turbines at various locations along I-90.
While a memo from the authority to Genesee County officials stresses the preliminary nature of its planning, there is a dot on the map at the Batavia exit.
The state agency is seeking public feedback on the proposal, and county officials seem pretty cool to the idea.
County Planner Jim Duval shared with the Planning Board last night that County Manager Jay Gsell and Highway Superintendent Tim Hens are concerned that the Batavia location is a mere 4,500 feet from the county airport.
The ideal distance would be more than 10,000 feet.
Not to mention the exit is a relatively commercial, high-traffic area.
The Planning Board voted unanimously to send a resolution to the authority opposing placement of a wind turbine at the Batavia exit.
i for one, am "pro-wind". it
i for one, am "pro-wind". it makes perfect sense to utilize this resource--especially since it's non-depletable, like water, or fuel, etc.....
These things are the greatest
These things are the greatest idea in the world until someone wants to plop one in your back yard
What is wrong with them? Are
What is wrong with them? Are they noisy? Are they an eye sore?
The problem I'd have or wonder about is: how much higher are they going to jack the tolls up after they do something like this?
When we lived in Bakersfield,
When we lived in Bakersfield, wind turbines lined the Tehachapi Pass, a corridor well known for its windiness. We drove by them many times. They are not noisy. But they are creepy. They are monstrously huge, tall and foreboding looking up close. I am for alternative energy, however, and would be willing to take the good with the bad. It would not seem smart to put one anywhere close to an airport, though.
If they would help lower
If they would help lower County taxes, I'm all for them.
Why not lease Thruway land to
Why not lease Thruway land to private firms for the purpose of wind generated power. Along the entire length of the Thruway, there has got to be areas where there is enough wind to make this feasible.
I agree with CJ everyone
I agree with CJ everyone thinks they are great but doesn't want them anywhere near their area. I for one would welcome them to my area. Our town is one that has put a moratorium against them. We would love to have some but have been told by the company they will not even talk to us because of the town we live in. Some day people will see we do need alternative energy. The only thing will be we won't be able to afford that then either. We need to do something now, not wait till its too late.
This type would be ok for use
This type would be ok for use "near" airports and they're produced by a local company.
http://www.windtamerturbines.com
Those are interesting, thanks
Those are interesting, thanks for the link Mark.
Wind turbines of commercial
Wind turbines of commercial size aren't the friend of anyone. They can't exist without tax subsidy and they're inefficient to say the least.
I can attest to the noise and eyesore problems associated with them. I own 26 acres in the highest point of Wyoming county and had a great view from the front porch of my cabin in the woods. About 10 of them were placed directly in front of my property destroying the 20 mile east view I had and the noise from the wind hitting the blades is intolerable.
The farmers that were promised large sums of money for each turbine on their property are not getting paid. My taxes that were supposed to fall have not fallen at all. In the morning when the sun come up, strobe effect shadows cascade across my cabin in perfect sync with the swish swish swish noise from the turbine blades.
Check your electric bill sometime. There's an option to buy green electricity and the cost per kilowatt hour will astound you.
The only real option to solving the electricity problem in NY is to build nuclear power facilities. Ginna nuclear power plant is a shining example of how safe the technology is. It was started in 1970 and still produces 490 Megawatts of CHEAP electricity. Nuclear power safety and efficiency has vastly improved since this facility was built.
Nuclear facilities have NO CARBON emissions if you're worried about that sort of thing. The volume of waste is minute compared to a coal fired plant. They only take up a minimal amount of space where turbines chew up land space and can't produce a profit without tax subsidy.
The amount of materials used in a commercial turbine is staggering. There's 26 cubic yards of concrete in the base of each turbine that will never be taken back out of the ground.
Drive down through Wethersfield and Bliss sometime. There'll be a great wind blowing and every turbine will be stationary. Why, I have no clue.
Anyway, commercial turbines suck. Talk to anyone who lives on the tug hill plateau area where hundreds of them were erected. They'll all ask you the same thing "wanna buy some land?" Promised property value increases with tax decreases are just more of the lies that turbine manufacturers shove down the throat of land owners.
Did I mention that I think commercial turbines suck?
Doug; I read in the wind
Doug; I read in the wind tamer link that Mark sent that the big commercial windmills like in Wyoming Co can't turn in more than 35 mph winds, because they'll come apart. I always wondered why I would see so many of them not turning. Learn something every day if I try.