Long Island Offshore Wind Energy

[Renew Deal]

http://lioffshorewindenergy.org/

Someone told me about this yesterday. It looks like a great idea.

http://lioffshorewindenergy.org/testimonial.html

Wind Power and Aesthetics
By Anastasia Schepers

Every year since the early 1990s, my husband, children and I visit the village where my husband grew up not far from the North Sea, on the western coast of the Netherlands -- a country where windmills were the primary source of power for five centuries. Windmills were used to pump water out of polders, grind grain and supply power. At one time there were as many as 9,000 windmills in the Netherlands; now about 1000 remain, including the Heense Molen, in Noord Brabant where my father-in-law, a baker, use to purchase flour to bake bread for his customers.

My children have grown accustomed to seeing both the old windmills as well as the new propeller-bladed wind turbines. These larger, more powerful modern day turbines produce over 100 times the amount of electricity as they did a mere quarter of a century ago. It seems that with each visit we notice new groups of on-land and offshore wind turbines when we drive around the countryside; they stand together here and there but never dominate the landscape. During our last visit, my 11-year old daughter remarked, "They're like light poles -- you just get used to seeing them."

Today the Netherlands and other European countries are committed to building wind farms and making the most of this free renewable resource. Over three-fourths of the world’s wind power is generated in Europe with Germany, Spain and Denmark leading the way. Today wind power supplies about 0.4% of the world’s electricity demand, but there are no technical, economic, or resource limitations that would keep wind power from supplying 12% of the world’s electricity by 2020, according to the American Wind Energy Association and European Wind Energy Association.

In August I attended a presentation to the Sierra Club on offshore wind power by Kathleen Whitely (formerly of the Sustainable Energy Alliance of Long Island and now a consultant for Applied Energy Group). A few people in the audience objected to wind power based on aesthetic reasons. They argued that the placement of wind turbines on the horizon of our "pristine" south shore beaches, mainly Jones Beach, would be unacceptable.

In the long run, I believe that their concern is misplaced. While they who witness (hopefully) the construction of wind turbines on Long Island may find it a little unsettling, to the next generation, and the one after that, these whitish-gray towers which very often blend into the horizon will become a common part of our landscape. Harnessing this free source of energy will not release soot into the environment or generate nuclear waste, it will not tap into our arctic wilderness, and it might even lessen our dependency on foreign oil. The benefits seem to far outweigh the concern over aesthetics. And over time, we will get used to them and appreciate them.

Anastasia Schepers, M.S., R.D. is a registered dietitian who works as a writer and assistant editor for Environmental Nutrition Newsletter. She resides in Lynbrook.

http://lioffshorewindenergy.org/testimonial.html

[NNadir]

1. You're right, but Long Island is the place where NIMBY was invented.

It's pretty amusing that their power rates are some of the highest in the country.

I personally think the wind farm would be beautiful simply because it's a wind farm.

I grew up on Long Island and once was a NIMBY participant, demonstrating against Shoreham. I didn't realize that the birth of the anti-Shoreham movement orginated in superwealthy Lloyd's Neck, because a sister plant to Shoreham was planned there. Money talked then, and money talks now.

[phantom power]

2. Could the wind turbines be placed over the horizon?

Does the water stay shallow enough long enough to build them where they can't be seen from shore?

[Renew Deal]

3. The problem is that they run into shipping lanes.

The shipping lanes aren't that far out, so it's a problem.

[NNadir]

4. Aircraft navigate around skyscrapers.

I grew up on Long Island and I don't recall all that many ships being visible off Jones Beach.

In my opinion all of the objections routinely raised to offshore wind fields are pretty specious. The Danes have been running these things, and I have not heard of a single accident. I rather think the farms are rather beautiful to boot, especially when compared with soot.


display Completed Danish offshore wind fields

The problem with Americans in general and Long Islanders (and Cape Codders) in particular is that they think energy comes from exotic places that they never have to think about or know about. It does not. These plants are environmentally sustainable, extraordinarily clean, and much lower risk than any other energy option on the planet, including my personal "gold standard," nuclear energy.

The Danish wind plants, with an output of 160 MW, (5% of a typical nuclear plant) will in their lifetimes save hundreds of kilos of fissionable material for future generations to use. The Danish target of 4000 MWe by 2030 is equivalent to four operating nuclear plants, each of which consume about 0.8 tons of fissionable material each year. The Danish capacity will thus save about 3 tons of fissionable material each year.

[midnight armadillo]

5. yup

The problem with Americans in general and Long Islanders (and Cape Codders) in particular is that they think energy comes from exotic places that they never have to think about or know about. It does not.

Absolutely right. Since wind resources are distributed all over the place (to varying degrees, the Great Plains states have the most) making use of wind power basically democratizes the generation. This prevents power production from being focused in poor areas, like it often is.

The Cape Wind project has all the yachtsmen up in arms, along with homeowners with ocean views (that is the really rich minority). COntrast this with the price the whole state pays on our "bad air" days when they recommend staying indoors and breathing shallowly, a consequence of several filthy power plants in the state, our car addiction, and blown in pollution from the Midwest.

Speaking of cars, as an aside, people at the beginning of Cape Cod are holding up Governor Romney's plan to pursue a long-needed traffic improvement for Cape access so that the people can get commuter rail access to BOston...they're sick of driving to work.