Wind power in New York

The first wind farms in New York came online in 2000. They were relatively small projects. Madison Wind Farm, with a nameplate generating capacity of 11.55 MW, located in Madison County, was the first to commence operations. Also that year, the 6.6 MW Wethersfield Wind Farm, located in Wyoming County, came on line. The following year, the 30 MW Fenner Wind Farm, also in Madison County, commenced operations.

Five years passed before Maple Ridge Wind Farm, the largest wind farm in the state of New York, located in Lewis County, with 195 Vestas model V82 1.65 megawatt (MW) wind turbines, commenced operations.[4][5] Collectively, the turbines have a rated or nameplate capacity of 320 MW.[6] Maple Ridge Wind Farm became fully operational in January 2006.

The Bliss Windpark in Wyoming County opened in May 2008 with a capacity of 100.5 megawatts. Also, in 2008, the 100.5 MW Clinton Windpark, located in Clinton County, commenced operations. In February 2009, three other large wind farms — the Altona, Chateaugay, and Wethersfield Windparks — were completed in Upstate New York in Clinton, Franklin, and Wyoming Counties, respectively. The projects have an installed capacity of 97.5, 106.5, and 124 MW respectively. All four use General Electric 1.5SLE wind turbines.[7] The 112.5 MW Sheldon Wind Project in Wyoming County also came on line in 2009. In 2010, the Hardscrabble Wind Farm located in Herkimer County was constructed in the Towns of Farfield, Norway, and Little Falls, NY. The wind farm has 37 Gamesa G90 2.0 MW wind turbines and came online in 2011. The project generates 74 Megawatts of power and is owned by Iberdrola Renewables. In 2012, the 215 MW Marble River Wind Farm, located in Clinton County, commenced operations. Wind farms completed in 2018 include Arkwright Summit Wind Farm and Copenhagen Wind Farm.[8]

The capacity factor of wind farms in New York is about 30 percent. However, the effective capacity — the fraction of rated power generated during summer afternoons, the period of peak demand — is estimated to be 10 percent for the whole state, except for Long Island where about 40% is forecast.[9]

Wind is a very powerful element in society, and is able to provide energy without emitting greenhouse gases. Therefore, able to make a valid contribution to electricity demands. More than a quarter of power of the athletic complex at Union College of Schenectady County is supported by the endorsement of tall wind turbines. In 2014, energy projects accounted for more than 1,800 MW. Which in return estimated to be around 2.6 of the electric power available from "generation facilities in New York" and able to provide power for a million residents. While two power projects are being constructed in the state of New York, there is also a project under "active review." Wind energy development itself has striven towards achieving the goals of New York's renewable energy.

This series of projects is just a start for the 15th windiest state in the Nation, New York. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has confirmed that the wind resource is able to provide at least half of the needs of the states electricity.

A NYISO study conducted in 2010, Growing Wind: Final Report of the NYISO 2010 Wind Generation Study (Sept. 2010), found that the New York power system will allow for the integration of up to 8,000 MW of wind generation with no adverse reliability impacts. At higher levels of wind generation, due to increased variability, the analysis determined that for every 1,000 MW increase between the 4,250 MW and 8,000 MW wind penetration level, the average regulation requirement increases approximately 9 percent. Further, given existing transmission constraints, at the 6,000 MW scenario modeled, 8.8% of the energy production in three areas of upstate New York (Zones C - Central, D - North, and E - Mohawk) would be "bottled" or undeliverable. With upgrades, the amount of bottled wind energy could be reduced to less than 2 percent. A similar bottling pattern was found in the 8,000 MW model. Offshore wind energy, as modeled, is fully deliverable.[10]

In 2009, utilities in the state such as the New York Power Authority and Long Island Power Authority were exploring the possibility of large-scale offshore facilities, either in the ocean [11] or in the Great Lakes.[12] The New York Power Authority cancelled, in 2011, the Great Lakes Offshore Wind (GLOW) project.[13]

On September 8, 2011, the New York Power Authority, Long Island Power Authority, and Con Edison (the Offshore Wind Collaborative) filed a request with the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to issue a commercial lease on the outer continental shelf to the New York Power Authority for the development of the Long Island - New York City Offshore Wind Project. This project would be located in the Atlantic Ocean off Nassau County, approximately 13 nautical miles off Rockaway Peninsula, in a long 65,000-acre wedge-shaped area between shipping channels, directionally aligned southwest of Rockaway Peninsula. The project as now configured consists of 97 offshore turbines, with a total nameplate generating capacity of 350 MW. With 194 turbines, generating capacity could be doubled to 700 MW. Given the lengthy permitting process, the Collaborative's proposed project would not be operational until 2018 at the earliest. On January 4, 2013, BOEM issued a Request for Interest (Docket ID: BOEM-2012-0083) to determine whether other parties were interested in developing the same area. In addition to the Collaborative's response, BOEM received letters of interest in a commercial lease for this area from Fishermen's Energy LLC and Energy Management, Inc. BOEM is evaluating all three applications.[14]

Another offshore wind energy project that would supply electricity to New York is Deepwater ONE. On September 12, 2013, BOEM awarded two commercial offshore wind energy leases, OCS-A-0486 and OCS-A-0487, to Deepwater Wind New England LLC for development of a regional offshore wind energy project.[15] Deepwater ONE (formerly Deepwater Wind Energy Center) would be located in the Atlantic Ocean on 256 square miles on the outer continental shelf, approximately 30 miles east of Montauk, New York, and 15 miles east of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The project would consist of 150 to 200 turbines with a total nameplate generating capacity of 900 to 1,200 MW. It includes a 98-mile, 600 MW submarine transmission line, a new regional HVDC transmission system, and a New York-Long Island interconnector to link the electrical supply system in New England and Long Island.[16]

In January 2015, Sims Municipal Recycling (a division of Sims Metal Management) inaugurated the New York City's only commercial-scale wind turbine at its recycling center at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. Built by Northern Power Systems at the cost of about $750,000, the 160 ft (49 m) tall turbine has the capacity to produce 100 kilowatts, or 4% of the center's power needs.[17][18]

2013 Wind power capacity density by state

Source:[28]

• Solar power in New York
• New York energy law
• Wind power in the United States
• Renewable energy in the United States

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wind power in New York (state).

• The Wind Power Law Blog focuses on wind energy legal developments, especially regarding land use and zoning law, real estate transactions, environmental concerns, and judicial and regulatory actions. This blog emphasizes wind power developments in New York state, but also addresses issues of broader interest.
• Hope Farm Information on Wind Power - Page on securing incentives, building, and monitoring power generated by small-scale wind on Upstate NY farm.
• List of New York State wind power projects