Wind turbines like the one at Paul’s Organic Farm provide clean energy that benefits the turbine owners, the local utility and the surrounding community.
The 50-kilowatt turbine produces electricity that yields no polluting emissions. Traditional power plants such as coal- and oil-fired plants, on the other hand, produce emissions that create greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming—a major challenge in our society today. Even hydroelectric plants—often viewed as “clean”—can be harmful because they can kill fish and disrupt the natural habitat of rivers.
Clean power plants like the one at Paul’s Organic Farm are the wave of the future. Under certain circumstances, they can help provide power when the utility system goes down (although that’s not what this one does!).
What’s more, wind turbines help wean us from fossil fuels and the national security issues associated with our reliance on fossil fuel.
Says the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which provides incentives for New York state residents to install wind turbines, “Wind energy systems not only help customers reduce their electricity purchases from utilities, they also help reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, and they are non-polluting. Over its life, a small residential turbine can offset approximately 1.2 tons of air pollutants and 200 tons of greenhouse gases.”
There’s often confusion about if and how wind turbine owners are compensated for the electricity they produce. Truth is, the payment differs in different states. In New York, the “net metering” law allows wind turbines and other renewable energy systems to be connected to a utility’s power grid. Any electricity generated by the systems but not used by the wind turbine owners is transferred onto the grid. That electricity offsets the cost of power the turbine owner draws from the utility.
That means that the wind turbine owner is only allowed to offset power use. Wind turbine owners like Paul’s Organic farm do not get paid extra from the utility for the power they produce. However, in some other states, small-scale clean power producers like this farm are able to make a profit selling back to the utility. That’s because the clean energy is a valuable resource that cuts pollution, helps utilities avoid building expensive new power plants, helps utilities meet their periods of high demand, and weans the US of fossil fuels.
Overall, wind power is a win-win for the turbine owner, the surrounding community, the local utility and the US!
“Paul is providing a local source of organic homegrown fruits and vegetables plus a non-polluting source of energy,” says Ronald Fraser, a member of the Colden, NY environmental planning board. “He’s an innovator.”
If you have questions about Paul’s Organic Farm’s wind turbine, email us Paul@Paulsroganicfarm.com