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Frequently Asked Questions Have you ever wondered why wind power is called “green”, or how wind creates electricity? If you've got a question, we've got an answer. We've organized the questions into sections: General, Technical, Environmental, Economic, and Power Supply. If you have a question that is not answered here, please feel free to contact us. General:
Technical:
Environmental:
Economic:
Power Supply: Why East Hill? The East Hill combines four factors that are critical to a successful wind farm. 1) strong, sustained wind exceeding 15 miles per hour 2) good Transmission access 3) site access with minimal disturbance, and 4) strong community support. Wind - Wind measurements taken over the past year and reviewed by the Project's meteorologist have confirmed that East Hill has some of the strongest and steadiest wind in New York State. The topography of the East Hill slopes downward into an expansive Mohawk Valley, providing a natural acceleration of wind speeds that are truly unique. Transmission - The project is well located close to two electric interconnection points that could provide access with minor disturbance. Access - The site, located at an elevation of approximately 2,000 feet, has a well maintained a paved county road which runs through the center of the project area. This road will allow excellent access to proposed turbine locations with minimal disturbance to the land. Community Support - Reunion has held numerous local and regional meetings with local residents, businesses, political leaders, and environmental organizations over the last two years. Further, a bus tour of the Fenner Wind Farm and an open house that included over 200 visitors were considered a success. In addition, a diversified group of locally based environmentally conscious citizens has formed a community based environmental organization, which has publicly come out in favor of the Project. The open dialogue that Reunion has maintained with the community has clearly signaled strong support. Back to top How many wind turbines are going to be used for the project? The East Hill Wind Farm will consist of up to 24 wind turbines. No additional phases will be proposed by Reunion. Back to top What size turbines and towers will be on East Hill? Although an exact turbine model has not been selected, the wind turbines on the East Hill will have a hub height of approximately 260 feet (80 meter tower). The rated power production from each windmill will be approximately two to three megawatts. Back to top How are the farmers and inheritors going to deal with all the cement planted in their fields? No. The landowners who have agreed to lease their land for the construction of windmills and the project owner will jointly hold funds in sufficient amounts, which will be used to disassemble the windmills at the end of their useful life. In addition, the foundations will be removed to a depth of three feet, allowing the land to be returned to its original state prior to the project's construction. It should also be noted that the foundations, which would have a diameter of approximately 16 feet, would represent a minuscule fraction of the property leased. Further, the turbines for the East Hill Wind Farm will be located predominantly on higher elevation locations on lands that are not currently used for agricultural purposes. Back to top Will our tax dollars be used to build the turbines? No. The East Hill Wind Farm will be developed and built with 100% private funds. Back to top What background experience and trustworthiness does the company have and stand for? Reunion Power LLC has extensive experience in the development, management and operations of power generation projects. Collectively the team has brought to successful completion over 500 MW of power including over 440 MW of power in New York State, which was developed during the 1990s. Further, Reunion currently manages over $200 Million of power generation assets (two large wind farms in the Midwest US comprised of 250 wind turbines producing over 180 MW) for a well-respected financial institution. Competence, character and honesty are all factors, which were important in the selection of Reunion for these responsibilities. Following completion of the East Hill Wind Farm, Reunion intends to continue its involvement by way of providing long-term management services and an equity ownership position. Back to top Has Reunion Power sold its Cape Wyckoff contract to another wind energy company? No. Further, Reunion will not now or in the future share, or sell, any proprietary information to another developer seeking to develop Cape Wykoff into a wind farm. Reunion has previously announced its decision to not pursue development of Cape Wykoff. Back to top Will there be strobe lights? The FAA released a report in November 2005 titled Development of Obstruction Lighting Standards for Wind Turbine Farms. Although not yet formally adopted, the recommendations would significantly relax lighting standards that are currently in place. An excerpt from the Executive Summary is as follows: The lighting concept for wind turbine farms includes the use of red, simultaneously flashing lights positioned on the outer perimeter of the wind turbine farm, each spaced no more than one-half statute mile from each other, and requires only one fixture per turbine. As long as the wind turbines are painted white in color, daytime illumination is not required. To the best of its ability, Reunion is committed to working with the community to minimize the possible effects of the lighting plan. Back to top Do Wind Turbines fall down? With over 50,000 wind turbines installed worldwide, the possibility of a wind turbine failing exists. However there are very few documented failures and such events are extremely rare. Back to top Do Wind Turbines throw ice? During icing conditions, wind turbines are programmed to shut down as wind measurement equipment will signal the internal controller to feather the blades and halt electricity production. Operation will continue once the temperature becomes suitable for the turbine to shed, or drop ice accumulated on the blades. Ice most often will drop directly from the blades and is rarely "thrown." Proper turbine setbacks from homes and other structures add additional precaution. Back to top Will the East Hill Wind Farm receive any federal subsidies? Yes. The East Hill Wind Farm would receive a production tax credit (PTC) for a ten-year period after the project is built and beginning with the start of operations. However over the life of the project, the wind farm is projected to pay over three times the amount of federal income taxes than credits or benefits that are used! Based on these economics, the PTC provides an excellent return on investment for the taxpayer. Lastly, the PTC levels the playing field with the subsidies currently enjoyed by fossil facilities and provides value to wind's advantage of zero emissions. Back to top Who's going to pay for the roads, for all the heavy equipment to come through? In the event that road improvements are required to transport equipment to the site, the costs of such improvements would be included in the overall capital costs of the project and would be borne by the East Hill Wind Farm Project. Back to top Where can I see an operating wind farm? There are two wind farms located within a reasonable drive from Cherry Valley. The Madison Wind Farm and the Fenner Wind Farm, both located in Madison County, are excellent examples of a wind farms' coexistence with their communities. Please contact an East Hill Wind Farm representative for directions. Back to top The photo simulations available on this website seem to cut the project off. If the camera or "view" was shifted to the left or right, would we see more turbines? The observation is correct. The three photographic simulations that were presented, which are available for viewing here, were intended to communicate a representation of views of the project from a variety of locations. The photographs used in the simulations were taken with a Canon 20 D DSLR camera using both 43.6 and 45.4 mm focal length lenses. As a part of the project permitting process, Reunion Power will be conducting a comprehensive visual analysis that will include multiple simulations, fully representing views from a variety of locations. Back to top Is wind cheaper than natural gas or coal? In many locations, wind energy is cost competitive or less expensive than fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal and wind has the significant advantage of no fuel price volatility. In other words, because a wind turbine generator's fuel is free, there is no possibility of future fuel price spikes negatively affecting costs. Back to top How many coal-fired or nuclear plants will close or use less fuel as a result of the East Hill Wind farm? It is highly unlikely that any nuclear plants will be shut down due to the construction of the East Hill Wind Farm, or other wind power projects. However, we are confident that electricity generated from New York fossil fuel powered plants, including coal, oil and gas will be displaced by renewable power generated from wind. The East Hill Wind Farm has the opportunity to displace enough fossil power that could power up to 31,000 average New York homes. Back to top How big is a wind turbine, how much space do they need? A modern wind turbine, with a rated capacity between two and three mega watts (MW) per unit has the ability to provide enough power to supply approximately 1,300 New York households annually. The proposed turbines for the East Hill Wind Farm will have a height to the hub of the rotor of approximately 279 feet. The land required to support the turbine, is relatively small at less than one acre per unit. Back to top How does wind create electricity? The energy that is contained in a wind resource flows past the rotor of a wind turbine, which captures the wind and causes the blades to spin. Within the wind turbine, the slower moving shaft which is attached to the rotor transfers the energy to the higher rpm shaft located in the electric generator through a gear box. The energy created in each turbine’s electric generator is collected at a single point by way of underground electric cables and transferred into the local electric transmission system. Back to top With water energy solutions on their way and solar panels in space, how important do you think that these turbines are in the big picture? Wind turbines are extremely important in the big picture of transforming energy usage in the US and the world. It is the only form of electricity production that is both price-competitive with fossil fuel generation and a proven technology - now. Many other forms of power production, while vitally important that they continue to be explored and developed, aren't ready to go and won't be for many years. Back to top What happens when there is too much wind? Wind turbines are designed to operate during most wind conditions. More specifically, many varieties of wind turbines begin operations when wind conditions exceed about 8 miles per hour and shut down when wind speeds exceed 55 miles per hour. When winds exceed the limitations of the equipment (a wind measurement device is located on the nacelle of each windmill) the windmill will cease operations by feathering its blades and will bring the rotor to a complete stop. Back to top Who monitors and who does one call when sound, vibration or low frequency harmonics exceed limitations? Wind turbines most commonly produce some broadband noise as their revolving rotor blades encounter turbulence in the passing air. Broadband noise is usually described as a "swishing" or "whooshing" sound. Older wind turbines can also produce tonal sounds (a "hum" or "whine" at a steady pitch). This can be caused by mechanical components. This problem has been nearly eliminated in modern turbine design and through appropriate use of setbacks from nearby residences. It is a well-established fact for a new broadband, atonal noise source, such as a wind turbine, that a cumulative increase in the total sound level of about 5 or 6 dBA at a given point of interest is required before the new sound begins to be clearly perceptible or noticeable to most people. Cumulative increases of between 3 and 5 dBA are generally regarded as negligible or hardly audible and an increase less than this is not audible. During project development a qualified professional will be retained to conduct pre-construction noise surveys to find out what the normally occurring background noise levels are at the site, and to determine later on what, if anything, the wind project has added to those levels. Mitigation of the turbine noise will be accomplished through the design of the turbine and through the incorporation of setback distances from receptors during the siting of the turbine. Reunion Power intends to comply fully with Town law and all conditions of the authorizing permits during the operation of the project, including all noise requirements. In the event of a complaint about potential turbine noise that may exceed the existing sound standards at sensitive receptor locations, Reunion shall conduct site-specific sound studies at such locations. If a problem is found to exist, the Reunion Power shall determine which sound component is problematic and develop recommendations for correcting the problem. A procedure for addressing any complaints received from residents regarding turbine operation will be developed in the form of a Complaint Resolution Plan. It is anticipated that this plan will identify 1) methods for contact (toll free number, address, or personal contact at the operations facility), 2) methods for documenting complaints, and 3) time periods for resolving complaints. Reunion Power will make every reasonable effort to resolve all complaints. Back to top What if the wind slows or stops? Is wind power reliable? Wind power is reliable. Electricity from a wind power facility is connected to a fully integrated, diversified utility transmission system. When the wind project is not generating during low wind, similar to a hydro plant when there are low flow conditions, power is compensated by other generators in the system. Wind project’s reliability is measured by their availability to run, which often is recorded in the 95-98% of the time range. Back to top Will wind energy production on East Hill have times of peak and low production? If so, when is peak production anticipated? Yes. Generally, based on average wind patterns, peak energy production from the East Hill Wind Farm will occur during the winter, when electricity usage in upstate communities is at its highest. During the late summer months, when wind speeds in the Northeast are generally at their lowest, the project would utilize this time to complete annual maintenance activities. Back to top How much energy does it take to manufacture and erect a turbine and how long will it take for a turbine to produce that same amount of energy? One of the leading wind turbine manufacturers, Vestas, conducted energy balances for their V90-3.0 MW and V80-2.0 MW turbines. The energy balances confirm that it takes 7.7 and 9 months respectively for the two turbine models to generate as much energy as is used in their entire life cycle (extraction of raw materials to final disposal). More information on this topic can be found here Back to top How does wind power (turbines) interfere with cell phones/radio transmission? Windmills do not interfere with the transmission and reception from cellular phones. However, windmills could interfere with microwave communication in the event they are sited in a place where the direct point-to-point communication is interrupted. There are three microwave towers on the East Hill and the proposed windmills will be carefully sited in a manner, which avoids interference with the existing towers. Back to top Why is wind power called “green”? Wind power is derived entirely from the natural occurrence of wind resource. Wind has zero emissions and zero greenhouse gases, and will lessen the demand for power derived from “non-green” fuels such as coal, oil, gas, and nuclear. Further, wind power does not create increased industrial traffic from fuel deliveries as other power plants do. Back to top I am concerned about the health of my children. Are there any negative health impacts from wind energy? We are not aware of any negative health impacts from wind energy, but are however aware of many positive benefits including cleaner air and the resulting reductions of acid rain which is damaging our lakes, rivers, and forests. We do however suggest that any potential negative impacts from windmills shedding ice or creating audible sound is mitigated with proper setbacks to residences. The East Hill Wind Farm will utilize safe setbacks, which will reduce or eliminate the potential for any negative impacts. Back to top How can you ensure that my well water will not be contaminated? The facility will not utilize underground storage tanks or piping and underground construction would include only foundations and electrical lines. The transformers associated with each wind turbine would be air-cooled and will not contain oil. There would be some lubricant/oil contained in the equipment at the top of the tower. Back to top What is the holding capacity of the tank that lubricates the rotors? How would that effect the environment if they ruptured? There would not be any holding tanks associated with the Wind Turbines. Depending on the generation equipment purchased, there would be 50-70 gallons of gear oil contained in the gearbox casting, which lubricates the gearbox internals. The gearbox casting is not operated under pressure and is not subject to rupture (It is similar in construction to the casting of your car's engine block). Back to top Are there any toxic pollutants as a result of a wind turbine producing energy? No. Other than the above referenced gear oil, there are no potential pollutants associated with the production of wind energy. Any lubricants will be disposed of in a proper manner. Back to top What studies have been done on the impact of turbines on people's health that live within 1 mile, 2 miles, and 5 miles of the turbines? To our knowledge there have been no documented negative health impacts to people living at any of the distances specified. Back to top Will the community get money from the project? Wind power is a tremendous economic boost for the host community. Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreements make significant direct cash payments into the community. PILOTs may reduce or maintain the current local property and or school tax, thereby benefiting the entire community. Reunion Power will work with local officials and the community at large to find the most beneficial use of the contributions. For reference, the wind farm located in the Town of Fenner contributes $150,000 annually to the Town. Back to top What benefit will the other residents of Otsego County, other than the lease owners, receive from the erection of the wind turbines (e.g. Lower electricity costs, reduced taxes, etc.)? In addition to the significant environmental benefits associated with the East Hill Wind Farm, residents of Otsego County, and more specifically Cherry Valley, will see significant financial benefits from the Project. Economically, the residents of Cherry Valley will be the largest financial beneficiaries from the wind farm. The Project will make significant long-term financial payments to the Town of Cherry Valley and the Cherry Valley - Springfield Central School. These net financial contributions to the town and the school could in total represent a significant percentage of the Town and School's budget, and could ease further pressure by the Town and School to increase property taxes. In fact, the residents of the Town of Fenner in Madison County actually saw a reduction in their property tax bills by a third as a result of the hosting of their wind farm. Further, the Sharon Springs Central School could also receive economic benefits from the East Hill Project. Finally, it is likely that Otsego County will receive some modest financial benefits from the project. Back to top What is the PILOT [Payment In-Lieu Of Taxes] program? The PILOT process is a financial arrangement, in this case between the East Hill Wind Farm and the County of Otsego Industrial Development Agency (COIDA). We envision that the parties will enter into a PILOT (Payment in lieu of Tax Agreement) where 1) the IDA will hold tax title to the project assets and 2) the parties will agree on a payment schedule in lieu of the payment of property taxes. Typically the financial recipients to a PILOT are: a) the local school district, b) the Town and c) the County. Normally the distribution of PILOT payments is calculated by the respective tax rates, pro-rata to the normal property tax bills, amongst the taxing jurisdictions. What that means is that the local school district would receive the largest share, followed by the Town and the County respectively. Using the established benchmarks for annual PILOT payments in NY State, should the East Hill project have a rated capacity of say 70 MW, that would mean annual PILOT payments totaling $350,000 per year over the term of the PILOT (which in our case is proposed to be 15 years). Using the "standard" distributions that would mean over $175,000 annually would go to the School with lesser amounts to the Town and County respectively. Back to top Our school taxes keep going up. How will wind turbines benefit us? Will Cherry Valley-Springfield school district benefit? As described above, PILOT Agreements are designed to allow significant stable long-term cash investments into the school, which if managed properly, should reduce budgetary pressures and offer relief to those paying school tax. Back to top East Hill Wind would produce enough electricity to supply the whole county and then some. National Grid [an energy supply company] is about to increase Cherry Valley's rates. Can something be created to have National Grid's rates lowered? The East Hill Wind Farm would produce enough electricity to power approximately 31,000 average New York homes, about one and one half the number of homes in Otsego County. Customers of National Grid will most likely not immediately see a reduction in their power costs as a result of the installation of the East Hill Wind Farm. However, the State of New York Public Service Commission indicated after their vote to adopt New York State's Renewable Portfolio Standard ("RPS") that customer bill impacts would be modest and further stating that wholesale energy prices will likely decline as a result of adding a substantial amount of renewable resources into the system. In other words, new wind farms, like the one proposed on the East Hill, will add renewable supply into the New York State system, which will likely result in lower consumer rates in the future. Back to top |
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