What are the start up costs(from feasability studies to the turbines)
for a wind farm in the State of NY, and are there grants out there to
help with the costs.

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 23 Apr 2004 20:36 PDT

Have a look at this link here:

http://www.awea.org/smallwind/newyork.html

from the American Wind Energy Association.  They've amassed a great
deal of  information -- economics, technology, subsidies, contacts --
conveniently accessible in a single place.

What additional information would you like a researcher to provide to
make for a satisfactory and thorough answer to your question?

pafalafa-ga

Wind farms typicaly never show a profit unless the location is very
favorable, such as the top of a ridge that falls away on both sides.
Tall trees are also distructive of profit. The turbines need to be on
towers as tall or taller than the tallest trees within about 200 feet.
In NY state ice damage is likely sooner or later.
 Suppose the land payment is $1000 per month, payments on the towers
and turbines = $2000 per month. Average miscelaneous $1000 per month.
The electric company pays you $3000 per month average for the
electricity you put on the grid. That gives you an average cash flow
of minus $1000 per month for 60 months = $ 60,000 additional debt by
the 5th year, but you have been paying principal on the initial loans,
perhaps about $60,000 in principal. One of the turbines fails, or the
tower. You get just enough salvage money to pay for the clean up and
any engineering to reoptimise without one turbine. Now you are
averaging $2800 per month from the electric Company. It would have
been less, but you have rarely caused them a hastle, so they gave you
an inflation rate increase. Breifly your cash flow is minus $1200 per
month average. Two of your generators suffer lightening damage which
could have put you in bankrupsey, but the government grant pays you
$9000 in back payments they owed you. One of the loans is now payed
off, so you end the 6th year with $42 in black ink for that year. You
still owe 75,000. Your equipment is getting old so your average
miscelaneous has increased to $1500 per month, the nearby trees have
grown taller blocking your wind significantly....So it goes about like
that. You may see tiny profits now and then, but the wind farm clearly
is not a get rich skeem unless somebody buys you out and pays more
than a prudent amount. You probably don't own enough land on the ridge
to do it bigger scale. You would likely be into diminishing returns on
the grant money. Bigger might mean you need a full time employee
besides your self. Bigger requires more know how to avoid costly
errors. On the plus side, someone may hire you at $50,000 per year to
operate their wind farm, now that you have become an expert. Please
comment, embellih and/or refute.   Neil