EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Salamone of Fairfield, Herkimer County, doesn't want his home to be surrounded by 400-foot high windmills.

That's why he's fighting the proposal by PPM Energy to put a wind farm in the area where he lives.

Sometimes the conflict between those who want the windmills and those who don't gets unpleasant, he said.

Those in favor of the project point to the need for clean energy, the rights of individual property owners and possible tax windfalls for the community.

Fairfield Concerned Citizens, of which Salamone is a member, is questioning just how much the turbines will help the state's power needs, but wind companies have a different view.

Fairfield Concerned Citizens Inc.
Little Falls

Contrary to popular belief - promoted by well-funded industrial wind turbine facility developers - wind turbines do not reduce the need for fossil fuel powered electric generators and do not reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

Even at sites known for their breeze, wind is intermittent, variable and undependable. As a result, utility companies must rely on dependable power sources, usually powered by fossil fuel.

Electricity supply must be dependable. No one wants to turn on a light switch and have nothing happen because the wind does not happen to be spinning the wind turbines at that moment. Therefore the bulk of a utility's electric power must come from large generators, powered by coal, nuclear, gas, or water. To make up for the high variability of wind turbines, other generators that can be started quickly must be on standby, able to be brought on line quickly when the wind dies. These standby generators are most often powered by natural gas or coal.

A recent study found that "the wind-based portfolio results in little reduction, if any, in the need for fossil fuels."

Most electricity in the U.S. is fueled by coal or natural gas. Only 3% of all oil consumed in the U.S. is used for generating electricity. 68% is consumed in the transportation industry. Building wind farms "Does Not" reduce dependence on foreign oil.

American Wind Energy Association

Wind power is a reliable, cost-effective source of energy, and an essential element of the climate change solution. The many benefits of wind explain why it is one of the world's fastest-growing sources of electricity today, and can produce a substantial share of our electricity.

Reliable: Wind power helps to diversify our energy supply and strengthen its security, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The wind itself is a free, inexhaustible, domestic source of energy, and one that is abundantly available. Modern wind turbines reap that energy with ever-increasing efficiency: a single 1.5-megawatt turbine generates enough electricity on an average day to power 400 homes or more, and many turbines are now even more powerful.

In the specific case of New York, a study looking into the feasibility of integrating 3,300 MW of wind (10% of the state's peak demand) found that "even without forecasts, wind energy displaces conventional generation, reduces system operating costs, and reduces emissions."

Cost-effective: Once a wind farm is in place, the cost of power from that facility is predictable since no fuel is needed for the wind turbines' operation. Wind power is also one of the most cost-effective solutions we have for climate change. What other type of power plant can today produce safe, zero-emissions electricity at a cost that can compete with that of wind power?

Further increasing the share of electricity that is generated from wind in America will strengthen our environment, economy and energy security.