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The Maple Ridge Wind Farm is a 322 megawatt (MW) project located in the towns of Martinsburg, Lowville, Watson and Harrisburg about 75 miles northeast of Syracuse. Maple Ridge is a joint venture between PPM Energy and Horizon Wind Energy.
The project supports the local economy through property tax payments to seven local tax jurisdictions. Nearly 400 jobs were created during construction and approximately 35 full-time employees support current operations. While the entire project area spans approximately 20,000 acres, the actual footprint of the turbines uses less than one percent of the total acreage. Landowners continue using the remainder of the land for pastures, timberland, farming, and leisure activities, such as snowmobiling.
The Maple Ridge Wind Farm was named to honor the maple sugaring tradition in Lewis County, the leading maple syrup producing county in New York. The Maple Ridge project is situated at the eastern edge of the Tug Hill plateau, an area that frequently experiences strong lake-effect weather and has long been known for its exceptional snow falls and wind resource.
Project Fact and Figures
Location: Lewis County
Acreage: 20,000 acres
Construction Completion Dates:
Phase I: January, 2006
Phase II: November, 2006
Project Size: 322 megawatts
Turbines: 195
Why Tug Hill?
Tug Hill is in many respects the ideal location for New York's largest wind energy project. This site consists of approximately 20,000 acres of hilltop pasture and feed-crop land at an average elevation of 1600-1800 feet. Tug Hill is an ancient geologic formation that lies just downwind of the eastern shore of Lake Ontario, separated from the Adirondacks to the east by the Black River Valley. At a maximum elevation of 2000 feet above sea level, the Tug Hill plateau experiences strong lake-effect weather patterns and has long been known for its exceptional wind resource.
New York Needs Wind
The use of renewable energy sources such as wind power for the commercial generation of electric power is an explicit energy policy objective of New York State. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), for example, has a program designed to invest some of the proceeds of the System Benefits Charges in commercial wind projects, and the Maple Ridge Wind Farm has been chosen for funding by NYSERDA under this program. While in office, former Governor Pataki instructed the Public Service Commission to develop regulations that require all electric utilities to substantially increase their development of power derived from renewable energy sources. The goal: for 25% of New York's electricity to come from renewable energy by 2013.
More information is also available at the Maple Ride Wind Farm
Environmental Benefits
The Maple Ridge Wind Farm emits zero pollutants and greenhouse gases and produces enough energy to power 96,000 average American homes. By providing carbon-free electricity, Maple Ridge has an environmental effect equivalent to removing more than 45,000 cars from the road. On average, this amount of power in New York causes the emission of 1,040,000 pounds of NOx, 3,430,000 pounds of SO2, 11,000 pounds of mercury, and nearly 450,000 tons of CO2.
Community Investment
General Walter Martin built his manor house on 2.5 acres in Lewis County, New York, in 1805. Two hundred years later, Horizon helped the Lewis County Historical Society purchase the house to restore it.
A letter from the Lewis County Historical Society was sent to Horizon Wind Energy (formerly named Zilkha Renewable Energy) expressing their appreciation to Horizon for their commitment to the community of Lewis County.
Landowner Comments
Carl Stone, along with his wife Bonnie, owns land on which 5 of the 7 Vestas V66 turbines are located for the Madison Wind Farm in Madison, New York. He offers the following poem about Maple Ridge in praise of wind power.
Maple Ridge
Some folks still call this Flat Rock,
tho' Maple Ridge is now its name
It don't matter much what name its got,
It's a sweet product just the same.
Much as the ageless maple tree
'gathers sweetness from the sky
These turbines draw their energy
from the wind that passes by.
It started here back in ninety-nine
With a simple research tower
And a vision in some fellas mind
To use Tug Hill's wind power.
They'd done this in New York before,
But never on this scale.
This here was different, that's for sure
Like a brook trout to a whale!
There'd be hurdles they would surely face,
But they would work them through,
So, they took off at fevered pace,
They had so much to do.
Contracts with owners of the land,
There's be eighty-five in all,
To sign each woman and each man
that order's pretty tall.
When they'd done all they were able,
along came somethin' really scary,
They had to sit across the table,
from Arleigh, Norm, Terry.
Four schools boards and three towns,
Over twelve miles end to end.
They worked each day through smiles and frowns
to finish this my friend.
From the poor guy in the muddy trench,
to the man that ran a crane,
and that husky fella with a wrench,
Their importance was the same.
From the top right to the bottom
they worked here as a team.
No one's work can be forgotten,
on completion of this dream.
Man must use what nature gives for free.
and you sure have done that here.
And you can take this pledge from me,
there's no cause for you to fear.
The sun will still come up each day
and the moon will shine at night.
Your kids will still go out to play
and the songbirds will still take flight.
Wild turkey and the big buck deer
will still roam across this land,
and that gentle whooshing you may hear
will soon become just second hand.
See, through all the hub-bub, in the end
the wind will keep on blowin'
into daily life the turbines blend
without you even knowin.
In our fight against pollution
and the use of fossil fuel
This is not the sole solution
but its right for us to do.
What you've done here is good, ya know,
and you should point to it with pride.
'cause the wind that used to be your foe,
is now workin on your side.
O'er the years I've sole a lot of stuff,
to keep my ole farm goin'
Why once when things were kinda tough,
I even sold the wind that's blowin.
Now, I sold that fella wind with ease
but he won't buy my snow
I'm thinkin autumn maple leaves
might be the way to go.
Carl H. Stone
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