Locust Ridge Wind Farm in Pennsylvania

Basics of a Wind Farm

A wind farm is a windy piece of land on which wind turbines have been constructed. The land can be on the side or top of a ridge or hill, however, some wind farms have been successfully located in the depths of windy valleys.

A wind turbine is a metal tower, sometimes up to 400 feet in height. Blades are placed at the top of the tower either in a vertical or horizontal direction. The wind turns the large turbine blades and the turning motion converts the wind energy into an electrical current using an electric generator. The blades can be remotely turned to best capture the wind directions. Individual turbine electric generators are connected to channel the electrical energy to a central source for distribution to users.

Some wind farms are large enough to supply electricity for an electric power grid to supply energy to a large number of homes and companies. A wind farm can also be used on a small scale to provide electricity to only one or a few homes.

Building the Locust Ridge Wind Farm in Pennsylvania

The economy of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania was suffering from the decline of coal as an energy source in 2006. This decline resulted in the need for alternative energy and was instrumental in the development of new energy policies and tax advantages by the Pennsylvania state government.

Pennsylvania offers tax benefits and low interest loans for the installation of alternative energy forms such as solar power that contribute to the creation of energy efficient companies and homes.

Landowners Joe and Angel Green decided to invest their time and finances to develop a wind farm on their typically windy property. The Greens joined with Iberdrola, Spain's second-largest power company and the world's largest developer of wind energy, and Community Energy Inc. to develop Iberdrola's first wind farm in the United States. Gamese USA was contracted to construct 13 of their 400 foot, Model G87 turbines on the Green's Locust Ridge property. PPL Corp. signed a 20-year commitment to purchase the wind farm's electricity.

Benefits of Wind Farms

The key benefit of a wind farm is the production of energy from wind, a plentiful, renewable and relatively cheap energy source.

Energy Production

Wind energy is extremely efficient. The 13 wind turbines at Locust Ridge Wind Farm in Pennsylvania will:

• Produce 68,328 megawatt-hours annually, enough energy to power 6,500 homes
• Offset 85 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually, equal to removing about 8,000 vehicles from the roads

Community Benefits

The benefits of wind power reach a wide variety of individuals:

• Land owners lease their property to the wind farm operators for a fee. The land owners usually can also continue to use their land to earn farming, dairy or cattle income.
• Towns and communities receive tax income from the wind farm operator. These taxes provide budget support to local government and school activities. The initial set-up of the wind turbines creates temporary construction jobs.
• States benefit from increased energy production, the creation of new jobs and corporate taxes. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a leader in wind energy production with 179 megawatts of capacity, with plans to add 214 megawatts. Wind farms have created more than 5,000 jobs in Pennsylvania.