Wind Energy - New York

When people think of states using alternative energy, New York probable does not come to mind. In fact, the state is proactive in the area. Here is a guide to wind energy in New York.

Wind Energy - New York

One of the places in the United States with the highest amount of energy consumption is New York. With the country's largest city, New York City, being located here, and a large population of households - New York is constantly trying to find new and more economical ways to provide energy to the residents of the state. One new way that the state is trying to satisfy these energy needs is through wind energy, New York's fastest growing way of producing electricity.

The amount of wind energy New York produces is enough to rank it 15th among the states in the US. New York has the potential to output 7,080 kilowatt (KW) of energy yearly, which is quite a large amount - if you think of the fact that each KW is enough to energy about 300 homes. Currently, New York has commercial wind farms set up in eight areas of the state, with two more wind projects planned for the near future. The state is producing 280 KW per year right now, with 235 KW more being proposed in new projects.

The oldest wind farm in New York is located in Madison County, which is in upstate New York. Opened in 2000, the Madison Wind area produces 11.5 KW of electricity per year, and this electricity is purchased on the open market, which means that consumers are getting some of their energy from this wind farm. This farm is home to seven wind turbines, which is a small amount compared to New York State's largest wind farm. The largest wind project in the state is known as Maple Ridge Wind Farm, and it's located in Tug Hill, a town in Lewis County, New York.

The Maple Ridge Wind Farm is run by the companies PPM Atlantic Renewable and Horizon Wind Energy, and it houses 120 wind turbines. The wind farm was built over two years, 2005 and 2006, and it produces 198 MW of energy per year (that's enough to run over 59,000 households). This wind is also consumed by average consumers in the state, and the Maple Ridge Wind Farm also has additions planned to the area, as well as one addition of 20 wind turbines that were added in 2006.

As the wind energy New York develops grows, so do the number of people that benefit from cheaper, cleaner electricity. New York has also proposed having an off-shore wind farm, which would be unique for the area - and would add a lot of potential wind energy.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - providing information on wind power as an alternative energy platform.