The American Wind Energy Association ranks this state 15th for wind resources. David Wooley, project director of the newly created Wind Power New York trade association, said a recent survey of the state discovered sites to support 5,000 megawatts of wind power, most of which would be in Central and Western New York. Whether it's developed may depend on which way the economic winds blow. So far, most U.S. wind plants have been built under contract to supply utilities obligated to buy the power. Whoever buys the power will probably be motivated more by environmental issues, Whyte said.
Wind power is still relatively costly compared with conventional power sources.
It's sold mainly to consumers who want to promote the use of a non-polluting, renewable resource. The current wholesale price of conventional power is about 2.5 cents to 3 cents a kilowatt-hour. Despite the higher price, experience has shown that wind power is popular with consumers. Marketers in other states, such as Pennsylvania and California, have found significant interest from homeowners and businesses. But green marketing appeals to a limited segment of the population.