City to Consider Wind Turbines
The Palladium Times|Colin Kennedy|July 31, 2007
A discussion was held in the Common Council Chamber at City Hall Monday that could make the City of Oswego the first place in America with a design of electric-generating wind turbines only seen in Belgium. Bruce Cranston, representing the New England Windpower Corporation (NEWC), presented preliminary details on the scheme that is more efficient and affordable than the traditional wind turbines common in wind farms across the world. Instead of a large fan-like device, which once moved by the wind generates electricity, the new design resembles a tube with up to ten fans inside of it.
A discussion was held in the Common Council Chamber at City Hall Monday that could make the City of Oswego the first place in America with a design of electric-generating wind turbines only seen in Belgium. Bruce Cranston, representing the New England Windpower Corporation (NEWC), presented preliminary details on the scheme that is more efficient and affordable than the traditional wind turbines common in wind farms across the world. Instead of a large fan-like device, which once moved by the wind generates electricity, the new design resembles a tube with up to ten fans inside of it.
A discussion was held in the Common Council Chamber at City Hall Monday that could make the City of Oswego the first place in America with a design of electric-generating wind turbines only seen in Belgium.
Bruce Cranston, representing the New England Windpower Corporation (NEWC), presented preliminary details on the scheme that is more efficient and affordable than the traditional wind turbines common in wind farms across the world. Instead of a large fan-like device, which once moved by the wind generates electricity, the new design resembles a tube with up to ten fans inside of it.
Based on the models in Belgium, if turbines were to be built in Oswego it would not only save the city money but eventually earn money. With a $2.5 …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]A discussion was held in the Common Council Chamber at City Hall Monday that could make the City of Oswego the first place in America with a design of electric-generating wind turbines only seen in Belgium.
Bruce Cranston, representing the New England Windpower Corporation (NEWC), presented preliminary details on the scheme that is more efficient and affordable than the traditional wind turbines common in wind farms across the world. Instead of a large fan-like device, which once moved by the wind generates electricity, the new design resembles a tube with up to ten fans inside of it.
Based on the models in Belgium, if turbines were to be built in Oswego it would not only save the city money but eventually earn money. With a $2.5 million investment, $996,450 in revenues would be generated per year, meaning the city would break even in three years.
And since each motor within a turbine can be maintained individually, the maintaince time is also dramatically decreased compared to the traditional design. The models in Belgium have had 5,694 hours of operating time with only 27 hours of down time for maintenance.
"It's really exciting technology," said Cranston. "It's what America was built on. People taking chances and being pioneers, if you will. We can rid ourselves of the demand for natural gas."
"It eliminates just about every environmental issue," he added later, noting that the new design has no electromagnetic static, has no "whooshing" noise, does not cast shadows from the props and cannot suck birds or other wildlife into the fans.
Although it's still very preliminary, the proposed plan would have NEWC leasing the machinery to the city for 99 years, wherein they would be responsible for any maintenance throughout the life of the lease. Currently, a plot of land on the SUNY Oswego campus north of Schuyler Street between Sheldon Avenue and Sixth Avenue is being eyed for construction. "The space is perfect," said Cranston. "It's electricity nirvana."
If the plan were to go through, Cranston said that ten months would be a ballpark figure for the time it would take start construction until the turbines will actually generate electricity.