I think Buffalo should follow Lackawanna's lead and arrange for a slew of wind turbines to be built along the shore of Lake Erie. I think, furthermore, that it would be an honour for Buffalo to be the national leader in the development of wind power. As for the alarmist claim that turbines kill birds - It ain't true !!
Fill is 100% right. Buffalo has the opportunity here to be the leader in a big emerging industry in the United States. I dont know why we dont take advantage of the situation. This is going to be huge in the near future. Plus it would look really cool. And I read online that the national average for bird deaths because of wind farms is less than one bird death per turbine per year.
Anyone driving over the skyway and headed toward Lackawanna has to be impressed by these structures that are so tall, slender and graceful, just like me (just kidding, just kidding). Seriously, they really are objects of beauty. Then when one considers that they are producing energy while doing 0 amt. of damage to the environment.....well, I just don't understand the gainsayers.
With our Hydro Plant, River, Wind Resources and Sunny Days There isn't any reason Buffalo couldn't be a leader in this technology and field of industry. We also have the industrial capacity to produce and ship this technology to large populations easily. It makes perfect sense I look forward to hearing what he has to say.
PS if anyone doesn't think there is money in this industry google California, with good political and citizen support, is doing. They are the leaders for almost all sustainable technologies and industries. They develop, produce and sell the stuff the to the rest of the country and as was said earlier it is a new emerging industry.
i saw the windmills recently and loved them! they look so modern and great for the city.
Alt Energy gets my vote.
Besides generating alt. electricity ..could we also manufacture windmills? What about solar panels?
I would love to speak with anyone willing to take this on.
Not only is this an upcoming industry, but current local & small industries can make use of this technology to cut their electric bill. Also some home owners can. Except through most of the summer, most of Buffalo has plenty of wind to produce some serious energy. There are regularly year-round extra windy spots around town that should produce tons of power. The waterfront, Niagara St., Main St., UB, anywhere downtown, Delaware Ave., & the plazas around WIVB-TV are the windiest in Buffalo. In those areas, even cheaper, smaller, or rooftop turbines could generate significant amounts of energy almost all year.
I lease, not own my space near downtown so can't put a windmill on my roof, but I did estimate that about a $3,000 investment in small wind turbine technology would meet all my energy needs year-round including heating, air conditioning, & electrical stuff. My current energy costs (gas & electricity) averages about $1600 per year. So in less than 2 years the system paid for itself. But it is not free energy after that. There is maintenance & weather damage costs (insurance should cover storm damage), but I'm sure those costs would be less than $1600 a year on a small system. And they don't pollute!
Solar panels are still prohibitively expensive for the power they yield. Typically $1,000 worth of solar panels will only generate a couple hundred watts in direct bright sunlight in southern, mostly cloudless states. On cloudy or hazy days they'll only produce an insignificant amount, & at night produce nothing. They're most useful in rural areas where there's no power grid, or it would be too expensive to run wires from the nearest grid connection, where there's plenty of cloudless days, & usually not enough wind for a turbine, or in outer space (no clouds or wind in space, & they're lighter than turbines).
A typical $1,000 windmill/turbine will produce up to 600-1200 watts in a 15-20 mph wind, & a couple hundred watts in a slight breeze... day or night, winter or summer. So you get a lot more power per dollar than with solar panels. We get a lot more wind year 'round than sun, so wind power is ideal for this area.
Both wind & solar power also need a power management infrastructure. You can't plug your TV, heater, or air conditioner directly into a windmill or solar panel. Their output is a lower voltage than appliances, & are DC rather than AC power. Also as the wind or sunlight varies so will the power & voltage.
Typically the power from them is sent to a voltage regulator similar to some in cars, that charge a bank of expensive, deep cycle batteries like in RVs, large boats, golf carts, & electric cars... not the cheaper variety found in your car. The battery banks store the electricity as a constant source of current while the sun or wind varies, or for when there is no sun or wind. The power from the batteries is fed into a large power inverter, that converts it into standard AC house current.
To save on costs, if you're handy with electronics, one can build the power management system a lot cheaper than buying one off the shelf.
If you're really handy, people have built the turbines out of automotive alternators, & hand making their own turbine blades. Homemade carbon fiber composite, fiberglass, & wood blades work very well.
I drive Rt. 5 into downtown every day...I cannot keep my eyes off those damn windmills...they are like having eight larger-than-life sculptures waiting to greet you. More importanly I love their purpose and am thrilled that by their presence, they are sending a message that Buffalo is a little - dare I say - progressive.
To those who know: How much do I need to invest to create a system sufficient for commercial retail tenants?
Let's say I have five store fronts, averaging 1200 square feet per store, plus six apartments, averaging 1600 square feet, in building which I want to redevelop. Let's say the storefronts are typical users to heavy users: one would be office, one a hair dresser, one a laundromat (heavy electricity) one a restaurant (relatively heavy use). Let's say the apartments are typical usage.
What level of investment would be required to make the complex as electricity independent as possible?
The cost of wind energy is more than purchasing conventional energy from a power company. If your goal is to be more green it's a great concept, otherwise it's a fairly expensive venture.
It costs me an extra 5-8 bucks a month to get all my houses energy from Wind Power.. not that much more expensive. Anyone can do:
http://www.nationalgridus.com/niagaramohawk/home/energychoice/4_greenup_provider.asp
I was talking about a standalone system, not buying power from a utility. The larger the system the lower the overall operating/installation cost is. It's also the upfront cost of installing the system that can be prohibitive for most uses, especially residential.
Does anyone know if these are controlled by the New York Power Authority? If so, are we seeing the benefits and proceeds or are they going to Albany like the hydro-power that this area produces?
urbanesque... good question. Niagara Falls produces some of the lowest cost energy in the country but yes WE have some of the highest costs... Albany SUCKS.
Does anyone know when those windmills will be moving? I saw one of them turning a couple weeks ago but I havent seen any movement since. I drove down route 5 to check them out but you can't get too close because they are so far off. I am impressed with them and I honestly think it would be somewhat entertaining to watch a flock of seagulls fly into one of them. Sorry.
my company is moving into a new(for us) building in a few months and i would love to find a local resource to help me get information about a turbine and/or solar panels. anyone have someone/someplace in mind?
It might be worth trying to contact Kevin Connors or Dennis Andrejko at the University at Buffalo, they are both into green sustainable designs and might be able to point you in the direction of contractors or businesses for them. You can get their email addresses from the UB Architecture website. www.ap.buffalo.edu
We were so excited when we noticed the wind farm on our drive to the south towns the other day. I couldn't believe that Buffalo was finally using that miserable space along Rt 5 for something other than an eyesore. It's nice to see that something is happening. Now I just wish that National Grid would allow you to subscribe to environmentally friendly power supplies for a cheater rate than what I pay now to have 100% wind produced energy purchased for our home. Keep it Buffalo!
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