See spectacular video of 7 huge wind turbines being blown up in Madison County

 Madison, N.Y. – Seven wind turbines that were heralded 25 years ago as harbingers of New York state’s green energy future were demolished Wednesday in Madison County.

The turbines, which were more than 200 feet tall, were blown up one after another. It took about 30 seconds for blasts to knock them down.

The 11.5-megawatt wind farm, Madison Wind Power, has reached the end of its useful life, owner EDP Global said.

Madison Wind Power was the first commercial wind farm built in New York, attracting national attention. U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson was among the VIPs who showed up for the groundbreaking in April 2000.

It’s small potatoes today. The wind industry has grown since then, as has the size of wind farms. New York now has about 2,600 megawatts of wind power capacity – 225 times the output of Madison – with more on the way. [or perhaps not]

The turbines installed at Madison Wind stood 220 feet high at the hub, with a rotor diameter of 217 feet. Each turbine could generate 1.65 megawatts. Today’s land-based turbine towers average 340 feet tall, with rotors that sweep a circle 380 feet or more in diameter. Their average capacity is 3.4 megawatts, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The equipment at Madison Wind Power is so outdated that replacement parts are no longer available, EDP Global said. [This is also true for a number of other wind farms built in NY State.]

In recent years, Madison Wind Power’s output has diminished. In 2011, for instance, the wind farm generated 21,700 megawatt-hours, enough to supply nearly 3,000 homes, according to data from the New York Independent System Operator. Last year, the wind farm produced only one-third that much.

EDP Global has no plans to rebuild the wind farm on the Madison Wind Power site, said Samantha Field, a Madison County spokesperson. The county hosts two other operating wind farms and at least three others have been proposed.

EDP is a multinational renewable energy company based in Portugal, with annual revenue of nearly $18 billion.

Tim Knauss

 

Tim Knauss is a watchdog reporter on the public affairs team at Syracuse.com, with four decades of experience covering Central New York. Knauss has written about a variety of subjects recently including unfair property taxes, failed government projects, high energy costs, and the effects of racial discrimination on health. He has won many statewide awards, including twice being named the New York State Associated Press Journalist of the Year. He earned a master’s degree in 1990 from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in 1977 from Oberlin College. Contact Knauss at tknauss@syracuse.com or 315-470-3023.

 

See spectacular video of 7 huge wind turbines being blown up in Madison County - syracuse.com

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