TRR photo by Charlie Buterbaugh Students at Apple Pond Farm and Renewable Energy Educational Center count oscillations as they tighten cable supports of a 120-foot wind energy tower. (Click for larger image)

Wind power reaches new height

By CHARLIE BUTERBAUGH

CALLICOON CENTER, NY — Depending on wind for electric power is an idea whose time has come. Dick Riseling has been working toward that goal for two years.

On Wednesday, April 9, students at the Apple Pond Farming and Renewable Energy Educational Center attached a 10-kilowatt (kW) wind turbine atop a 120-foot tower to power Riseling’s farm. The turbine, manufactured by Bergey WindPower Co. in Oklahoma, will generate a minimum of 12,000 kW of electricity annually. Riseling used roughly 14,000 kW last year. At a rate of about $.13 per kW, he spent $1,820 powering his farm in 2002.

“Most think these systems are for people with a lot of money,” he said. “But the New York State Energy Research Development Authority provided a 60 percent grant for this $47,000 project.”