Cape & Islands News

America's largest wind farm completed by Labor Day

  America's largest wind farm in upstate New York is nearing completion 

Wind turbine makers scramble to meet demand
U.S. installations projected to grow by 50% by the end of next year
Rising prices for oil and natural gas fuel demand for wind power

team of eight workers scrambled to assemble the 185th windmill in the largest wind farm in the northeastern United States. They had 10 more to build and wanted to wrap up the job by Labor Day.

Scott Alexander, operations manager for the Maple Ridge Wind Farm (on right), stood below, watching a towering crane holding a 20-ton, three-bladed propeller 260 feet above him. He didn't appear worried about the gravity-defying operation...

Nearly 4 million homes served by end of 2007

Wind farms are going up across the country at a rapid pace. This month, the United States passed the 10,000-megawatt mark in installed wind turbine capacity, according to the American Wind Energy Association, which projects that by the end of next year, that number will reach 15,000 megawatts -- enough to power 3.8 million typical American homes...

Opponents of wind farms in the United States object to the noise and disruption of view, and also question their productivity. One major farm proposed off Cape Cod in Massachusetts has run into just such criticism.

But with rising prices for oil and natural gas -- a key fuel for many U.S. electricity plants -- advocates argue their price stability makes them a good choice. "What's the probability that natural gas will change in price?" Abate asked. "Wind won't change in price"...

Read the rest of this MSNBC story here, and comment below.