by Richard Kessel
The winds are blowing all across America as we’re waking up to the need to reduce our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels through wind farms both on land and in the water. This is an exciting time for the wind industry as new technologies are being perfected that could result in wind power accounting for as much as 20% of this country’s energy production.
Actually, wind is nothing new to America. Windmills were erected in the 1800s and served as storage facilities, meeting places and landmarks. Our ancestors were fascinated with windmills and hundreds of these old machines can be seen throughout New York State. Even here on Long Island, locales such as Watermill and East Hampton have windmills that were erected decades ago. And, towns throughout the state have windmills on farms and in town and village squares to celebrate their heritage. Now, however, windmills are become a sign of America’s willingness to consider alternatives to fossil fuel plants that carry with them emissions that contribute negatively to air quality. And, while new generating plants today are cleaner and more efficient than their predecessors, people are recognizing that wind energy contains no emissions and the fuel, of course, is free.
Many states, including New York, are taking leadership roles in encouraging wind development. Here in New York State, for example, Governor Paterson is leading the charge for wind development both on land and offshore. Dozens of wind farms are either operating or under development in upstate New York. Even in major cities such as Buffalo, wind development is proceeding at a rapid place. Drive along the Buffalo waterfront, or through farm country, and you’ll see windmills spinning and producing electricity for local businesses, homes and industry. And, while some people are still put off by the sight of these turbines, community acceptance is strong as people are frustrated with the price of oil and natural gas.
New York is fertile ground for wind energy. Dozens of developers are approaching private utilities such as Con Ed and National Grid, and public power companies like the Long Island and New York Power Authorities to develop projects that can be as small as one megawatt and as large as five hundred or more megawatts. And, with the backing of the Administration and the race to meet New York’s goal of producing 25% of our energy through renewables in five years (2013), it’s not out of the question that windmills will dot this state from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Country.
As I’ve said before, offshore wind has great potential. Experts estimate that up to 5000 megawatts of electricity – enough for over two-and-a-half million homes – can be produced off the shores of Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. And, with deepwater wind turbines (15 miles or more offshore) just a few years away, developers can now begin to make these projects a reality. Of course, more transmission needs to be built so that the wind power can move around and to the grid; and permitting at the federal level must be simplified so that time and resources are not wasted.
But, wind’s time has finally arrived, and several years from now New York can be the wind capital of the world. One of the answers to our energy woes is clearly blowin’ in the wind.