New York State Wind Wars - Hiding the Facts (PTC Allows Invenergy to Desecrate)

New York State Wind Wars - Hiding the Facts (PTC Allows Invenergy to Desecrate)

The last minute extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC - aka: “Pork To Cronies”) within the December 31, 2012 fiscal cliff deal was good news for Big Wind corporate welfare profiteers, like Michael Polsky's Invenergy.  It was very bad news for rural/residential Towns being targeted by industrial wind developers here in New York State, and across the nation.

Despite the fact that the Wyoming County, NY Town of Orangeville’s conflicted Town Board approved Invenergy’s “Stony Creek” project in the Fall of 2012, Invenergy admitted they would not be going ahead with the project unless the PTC was extended - highlighting the fact that the only thing Invenergy is interested in ‘harvesting’ is taxpayers’ money.  

Once Crony-Corruptocrats in DC extended the PTC in that midnight fiscal cliff deal, the once-beautiful rolling hills of the Town of Orangeville were doomed.  As Michael Polsky enjoys his new mansion, many Orangeville residents are helplessly looking on in disgust as Invenergy turns their entire Town into a sprawling industrial wind factory -- rendering their homes virtually worthless -- all thanks to the legalized thievery of their own tax dollars for The Wind Farm Scam.

As Big Wind CEO, Patrick Jenevein candidly pointed out in his WSJ op-ed, “Wind power subsidies? No Thanks” and follow-up TV interview, “Wind farms are increasingly being built in less-windy locations” because the wind industry is focused on reaping the lucrative taxpayer and ratepayer subsidies, rather than on providing an efficient, affordable product. 

Nowhere is this proving to be more true than right here in New York State. Orangeville borders the Town of Attica here in Western New York State – a town that ‘First Wind LLC’ pulled out of a number of years ago after admitting that the Attica area “was not a good wind area.”  Seems Jenevein knew exactly what he was talking about

Economics 101

According to NYISO’s Goldbook, New York State’s installed wind factories averaged a pathetic 23.5% Capacity Factor in 2012.  New York State wind factories are not generating enough electricity to even pay for themselves over their short life spans.

Renowned energy analyst, Glenn Schleede, examined the data on New York State's wind factories, and found that ONE 450 MW Combined Cycle Generating Unit located at New York City (where the power is needed in New York State), would provide more power than all of New York State's wind farms combined, at 1/4 of the capital costs -- and would have significantly reduced CO2 emissions and created far more jobs than all those wind farms – without the added costs of all the transmission lines to New York City.

It's no wonder New York has earned the dubious distinction of having the highest electricity rates in the continental United States - 17.69 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) – a whopping 53% above the national average.  A New York resident using 6,500 kWh of electricity annually will pay about $400 per year more per year for his or her electricity than if New York’s electricity prices were at the national average.....

Continue reading here:

http://www.masterresource.org/2013/09/new-york-wind-wars/