Renewable Energy in New York
In Drum Country, green solutions like wind, solar and hydropower have all become powerful sources of energy. But Drum Country is also rich in another energy source: the power generated when business, economic development, University R&D and state government work together.
The resources, the workforce, the reality. It’s all here. Drum Country is abundant in key natural resources that are aligned with many current and forward-leaning green technologies. Cooperative efforts between business and educational institutions are creating a ready workforce; and the reality is, alternative and renewable energy companies are growing in Drum Country. If there is one thing the region shows, it is that Drum Country is the heart of New York’s “Energy Valley.”
Renewable Energy
Government Support
Green Business
Green Education
Top 10 Drum Country Employers
| Company | Description |
|---|---|
| Fort Drum | Civilian employees at army post |
| Arconic, Inc. | Manufactures forgings and extrusions |
| Alcoa | Manufactures aluminum |
| Kinney Drugs | Regional drug store chain |
| Car-Freshener Corp. | Manufactures air fresheners |
| ACCO, USA | Office supplies |
| Kraft Foods | Manufactures cream cheese products |
| Curran/Seaway Timber | Manufactures wood pellets |
| New York Air Brake | Manufactures braking systems for rail cars |
| Community Bank N.A. | Provides banking services |
The Company We Keep:
Leaders in Green
High quality natural resources and proximity to markets make the region attractive to renewable energy firms like Seaway Timber Harvesting and Curren Renewable Energy. SeawayTimber Harvesting produces over 300,000 tons of wood chips annually, while Curran Renewable Energy utilizes the resources of its Seaway Timber Harvesting firm to produce over 100,000 tons of high quality wood pellets. The companies employ over 100 locally.
Seaway Timber Harvesting and Curran Renewable Energy, which are both owned by Patrick, Timothy and Lee Curran, produces over 300,000 tons of wood chips annually. Curran Renewable Energy utilizes the resources of its Seaway Timber Harvesting firm to produce over 100,000 tons of high quality wood pellets.
Maple Ridge Wind Development in Lewis County has an installed capacity of 321.75 MW-enough to power approximately 143,000 average New York homes with clean energy each year. EDF Renewables operates an 80MW wind development in Copenhagen, NY that consists of 40 2-MW turbines. Additional wind developments are proposed across the region.
Drum Country is home to the St. Lawrence–FDR Power Project. The adjacent generating station can produce more than 900,000 KW of electricity.
In 2008, the Development Authority of the North Country partnered with a private entity to convert methane gas to electricity. Using four 1.6 MW generators, the plant converts methane into electricity-enough electricity to power over 3,000 homes.
Drum Country is home to many industrial solar projects throughout the region providing distributive power to micro-grids as well as the larger grid in general.
THE FORT FACTOR:
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
Fort Drum is home to ReEnergy Black River, a state-of- the-art producer of sustainable energy. Besides creating green energy, the facility also provides hundreds of jobs (both directly and indirectly), and is a catalyst to the local economy by providing long-term procurement contracts and a workforce development pipeline.
ReEnergy Black River uses local biomass as a primary fuel source, and produces approximately 400,000MWh of electricity each year. That amount is enough to supply more than 50,000 homes with energy, and could potentially satisfy 100 percent of Fort Drum’s demand for electricity.
ReEnergy also uses local wood from managed lands certified by third-party groups such as the Forest Stewardship Council, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the American Tree Farm System.
Fort Drum is home to ReEnergy Black River, a state-of- the-art producer of sustainable energy. Besides creating green energy, the facility also provides hundreds of jobs (both directly and indirectly), and is a catalyst to the local economy by providing long-term procurement contracts and a workforce development pipeline.
ReEnergy Black River uses local biomass as a primary fuel source, and produces approximately 400,000MWh of electricity each year. That amount is enough to supply more than 50,000 homes with energy, and could potentially satisfy 100 percent of Fort Drum’s demand for electricity.
ReEnergy also uses local wood from managed lands certified by third-party groups such as the Forest Stewardship Council, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the American Tree Farm System.
Workforce Development
in the Energy valley
Education in the Energy Valley
Educational facilities have adopted a comprehensive “green- think” mentality and are creating programs to train an alternative and renewable energy workforce:
SUNY Canton offers a Bachelors of Technology program in Sustainable Energy Systems that presents the engineering and technology of the field in the context of society and resource management.
Clarkson University offers a Center for Sustainable Energy Systems with research areas in bioenergy, energy education, power systems, solar energy, and wind energy to name a few.
Clarkson University has an Institute for a Sustainable Environment which offers an unparalleled diversity of perspectives and expertise to drive a campus-wide environmental education, sustainability efforts and collaborative research initiatives.
The Workforce Development Institute engaged in this area as well; the local trade unions have developed a depth of expertise in wind turbine installation and maintenance from their involvement in large-scale wind projects.
The Workforce Development Institute is committed to providing New York’s workforce with the skills needed to respond to a transitioning energy sector. WDI’s work is flexible and demand driven, and can take many forms including research, policy development, serving as a resource to others, and hands-on program development.
The convergence of these and other market forces create an ideal environment for manufacturing businesses. With so many factors making Drum Country advantageous to the manufacturing industry, manufacturers that relocate to Drum Country can count on a prosperous future. Contact us today to learn more!
