Wind of change in Long Island energy plans
The federal government of the state of New York has announced that more than 328 km2 of the Long Island coastline, near the city of New York, will be set aside and dedicated to the development of commercial wind power.
According to the Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell, the state of New York has “tremendous” wind potential and the area dedicated to this development would be significant enough to massively contribute to the development of renewable energy.
The idea dates back to 2011, when it was originally jointly proposed by the authorities (Long Island Power Authority and New York Power Authority) and Con Edison, a New York energy provider. As a result of these proposals, there are now 200 wind turbines located 11 miles south of Long Island that will provide 700 megawatts of power for a total budget estimated at between 2 and 4 billion dollars.
As yet nothing has been signed, and federal authorities launched a tender to lease the area for exploitation. However, the proposal would appear to be a relatively innovative idea for energy development in major cities via the exploitation of space that is often ignored.
