Long Island’s largest wind turbine spins in Riverhead

Long Island’s largest wind turbine is now in operation on a Riverhead farm.

The 100kW turbine was started up on Saturday at Half Hollow Nursery in Laurel, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the 1,200-acre farm owned by Lloyd Rasweiler.

It will produce enough electricity to power the nursery’s entire operation, according to Jamie Minnick, owner of Eastern Energy Systems of  Mattituck, which installed the turbine. The installation cost about $500,000, Minnick said. Half Hollow Nursery will get a rebate of approximately $126,777 from the Long Island Power Authorify, according to a LIPA press release.  By using wind power as the primary source of energy, CO2 emissions will be reduced by 99.49 tons annually. the LIPA press release said. The wind turbine is expected to produce an estimated 157,555 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year for an approximate annual energy savings of $29,305, according to the power authority.

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