LEDYARD - The term “wind power” has become more common over the years, common fodder for the media, activists and politicians.
On Friday in the basement of the Ledyard United Methodist Church on Route 34B, the Cayuga County Pomona Grange decided to talk about turbines.
Conditions for wind power are most favorable in rural areas with little obstruction, making it an appropriate topic for the membership, many of whom are retired farmers who still own some acreage.
The approximately 70-member Pomona Grange represents an amalgam of the four remaining chapters in the county.
After some song and ritual, a group of about 10 settled in for some discussion of the emerging technology Friday evening.
“It's something I thought our members might be interested in,” said Caroline Roberts, who presented the group with some facts she compiled.
She spoke of people who've invested in the turbines that harvest electricity and then sell it to the grid, most prominently in California and more recently in northern New York.
The Maple Ridge wind farm of more than 100 turbines in Lewis County is one of the largest projects in the East, capable of powering several tens of thousands of homes. A little closer to home, in the small town of Fenner, a 20-turbine farm that generates enough power for 10,000 homes went online in late 2001.
“It's something that needs to be pursued, that's for sure,” Roberts said.
The technology sounds like a promising way to give security to younger generations working family farms, Grange Master Roger Connor said, who recalled seeing the numerous turbines several years ago while visiting California.
“It's good to see it's coming our way,” said Connor, who said he would consider the wind power as a legacy for his children. “If it's something that can be put in to save them money, save the environment, I'd like to do it.”
“If I would've known about it back in 1965 when I bought the farm from my grandparents, I would have done it then,” he said.
The county is home to a few early projects. In 2005, David Weimann put 100-foot turbine on his 140 acres in the town of Locke. Their are some others in Cayuga County that generate power for personal use.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
Conditions for wind power are most favorable in rural areas with little obstruction, making it an appropriate topic for the membership, many of whom are retired farmers who still own some acreage.
The approximately 70-member Pomona Grange represents an amalgam of the four remaining chapters in the county.
After some song and ritual, a group of about 10 settled in for some discussion of the emerging technology Friday evening.
“It's something I thought our members might be interested in,” said Caroline Roberts, who presented the group with some facts she compiled.
She spoke of people who've invested in the turbines that harvest electricity and then sell it to the grid, most prominently in California and more recently in northern New York.
The Maple Ridge wind farm of more than 100 turbines in Lewis County is one of the largest projects in the East, capable of powering several tens of thousands of homes. A little closer to home, in the small town of Fenner, a 20-turbine farm that generates enough power for 10,000 homes went online in late 2001.
“It's something that needs to be pursued, that's for sure,” Roberts said.
The technology sounds like a promising way to give security to younger generations working family farms, Grange Master Roger Connor said, who recalled seeing the numerous turbines several years ago while visiting California.
“It's good to see it's coming our way,” said Connor, who said he would consider the wind power as a legacy for his children. “If it's something that can be put in to save them money, save the environment, I'd like to do it.”
“If I would've known about it back in 1965 when I bought the farm from my grandparents, I would have done it then,” he said.
The county is home to a few early projects. In 2005, David Weimann put 100-foot turbine on his 140 acres in the town of Locke. Their are some others in Cayuga County that generate power for personal use.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
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kent beuchert wrote on Apr 14, 2007 12:25 PM:
Planner wrote on Apr 14, 2007 8:40 AM:
Go Wind Power wrote on Apr 14, 2007 1:06 AM: