Wind Power FAQs continued:
Q: Will there be any changes to my electric service? |
A: No, you will still be connected to the same regional power grid that provides your power now. There will be no effect on the reliability or quality of your service. Purchasing GREEN Power does not require re-wiring or special equipment, and is just as reliable as standard electricity. |
Q: How much will it cost to purchase green power? |
A: The green power product costs an additional 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. For an average residential customer using 300 kwh of electricity per month, the additional charge would be $7.50 per month over our standard electricity offer. |
Q: How much can my purchase help? |
A: Purchasing 300 kWh of GREEN Power every month for one year when compared to the New York average of generation sources, reduces carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of planting about 375 trees or not driving about 6,000 miles. Your purchase also helps to develop the market for green power which encourages development of additional renewable resources in New York |
Q:Do wind farms have a negative impact on birds? |
A: No, not when wind farms are sited properly. Some of the early wind farms,
specifically Altamont Pass in Northern California, have resulted in the death
of raptors, such as hawks and eagles. In these areas, these birds of prey occasionally
perch atop the wind turbines for a better view while hunting, and get caught in the
spinning blades when the wind begins to blow. Fortunately, studies are now conducted to understand bird migration patterns to ensure the safe siting of the wind farms. Our sites have been found to be free of ground prey and bodies of water that attract birds, and are not within hunting range of raptor nests or located on bird migratory routes. Furthermore, modern wind turbine designs are much more bird-friendly. For example, solid tubular towers are used to prevent birds from perching on them, while the turbine blades rotate much more slowly than earlier designs. The bird deaths at the Altamont Pass site should, however, be considered in context. There were 183 bird deaths there over a two-year period and not all of those were attributable to the wind turbines. In contrast, automobiles are responsible for some 57 million bird deaths a year, more than 97 million birds die by flying into plate glass each year, and about 1.5 million birds die from collisions with structures (towers, stacks, bridges, and buildings) every year - according to the Audubon Society. However, any bird deaths from wind turbines are a problem both from a moral standpoint and from the legal standpoint of injuring or killing a protected bird such as a red-tailed hawk or golden eagle. |
Q: How much energy is produced from wind in the U.S. today? |
A: Total installed U.S. wind capacity at year's end 2004 was 6,734 megawatts (MW), or enough to serve more than 1.6 million average households (with 4.3 million people). More than 2,000 MW of wind generation-enough to serve more than 600,000 average American homes--were installed in the United States in the past two years alone. In 2004, over 16 billion kilowatthours of energy was generated from wind - enough electricity for 1.6 million average American homes. |
Q: How Do I enroll? |
A: Click here and fill out the online enrollment form. Please indicate how you heard about NY Wind. Remember- there is no contract. If you want to help lesson our dependence on fossil and nuclear power, buy New York Wind Power today. |
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