So, let me get this straight … if we don’t let you build your turbines anywhere you want, you won’t buy any of the electricity we might accidentally produce from ours?

Well, that seems to be the “take my ball and go home” shenanigans taking place in New York state.  Clean and green be damned.  And you good folks probably thought everyone was clamoring for the occasional belch of electricity generated from these tinker toys to save the planet.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but it really is all about the money!

These clunkers actually contribute nothing to the environment except to take up space in it … often destroying animal habitat and ancient view shed in the process.  But that’s a whole other conversation, as they say!

From the Watertown Daily Times:  “North wind farm market dries up”

Richard M. Kessel, president and chief executive officer of New York Power Authority (the really big guns) said, “We respect their decision, and we won’t place any of our wind turbines in the area but, …” (and take this, you little whippersnappers of the local Jefferson County legislature) “we won’t enter into any agreement with any wind power project in the county.”

So effectively, New York Power pulled the plug on four proposed wind farms in Jefferson County, and likely the already permitted Galloo Island Wind Farm unless the locals can round up another stooge or two to cook up a power purchase agreement, described in the paper as “a guarantee from a utility or large end-user that it will buy Upstate’s electricity. Those agreements generally last 10 years.”

And why is power purchase agreement important?  Without that or a contract with the state for renewable energy credits from the power that is deemed environmentally friendly, it becomes “much more difficult to get financing,” said Carol E. Murphy, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York.  “You need to have something to show the bank,” she said.

And why aren’t Investors breaking down the doors?  Investors don’t want to bank on the price of electricity alone, because that fluctuates. And right now, electricity prices remain low — 2009 brought the lowest average price for electricity on the wholesale market run by the New York Independent System Operator in its 10-year history.

And when it comes down to “saving the planet” or making a couple of bucks, what do Investors want?  PROFITS!!!

But don’t give up on the wind developers, they will even dupe our states and major universities into these commitments in order to plop these poor performing whirlybirds on the land.

Still think wind energy is all about the green? … Well, you’re right!