September 18, 2019

New York Offshore Wind

Listen Later

2 minutes

New York has passed ambitious legislation to reduce the carbon emissions that cause climate change, but the state needs to start taking action to make those reductions possible. One such action it has taken is an agreement that will enable the construction of two large offshore wind projects.

The projects are to be built off the coast of Long Island. One will be 14 miles south of Jones Beach and

the other 30 miles north of Montauk. The

wind farms will be built by a division of Equinor, a major Danish energy

company, and a joint venture between Orsted, another Danish company, and

Eversource Energy, an American firm.

The two New York wind farms are expected to be operational within the

next five years and have the capacity to produce 1,700 megawatts of

electricity. That is about 20% of

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s overall goal for offshore wind.

Wind farms are a major energy source in the United States, now

providing about 7% of the country’s electricity. That compares with only 2% in 2010. But nearly

all American wind turbines are on land.

There is only one small offshore wind farm in the US off the coast of

Rhode Island. Things are very different

in Europe. For example, Britain expects

to get 10% of its electricity from offshore wind next year, which is up from

less than 1% in 2010.

Developers of offshore wind farms have struggled to gain a foothold in

the US. Some projects have foundered

because of cost issues, but others have faced opposition from politicians and

coastal-property owners. But assuming

the New York wind projects clear permitting and environmental hurdles, offshore

wind may finally be on the move in the US.

**********

Web Links

New York Awards Offshore Wind Contracts in Bid to Reduce Emissions

Photo, posted May 22, 2007, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

...more

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Earth Wise

By Randy Simon

4.7

1515 ratings

September 18, 2019

New York Offshore Wind

Listen Later

2 minutes

New York has passed ambitious legislation to reduce the carbon emissions that cause climate change, but the state needs to start taking action to make those reductions possible. One such action it has taken is an agreement that will enable the construction of two large offshore wind projects.

The projects are to be built off the coast of Long Island. One will be 14 miles south of Jones Beach and

the other 30 miles north of Montauk. The

wind farms will be built by a division of Equinor, a major Danish energy

company, and a joint venture between Orsted, another Danish company, and

Eversource Energy, an American firm.

The two New York wind farms are expected to be operational within the

next five years and have the capacity to produce 1,700 megawatts of

electricity. That is about 20% of

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s overall goal for offshore wind.

Wind farms are a major energy source in the United States, now

providing about 7% of the country’s electricity. That compares with only 2% in 2010. But nearly

all American wind turbines are on land.

There is only one small offshore wind farm in the US off the coast of

Rhode Island. Things are very different

in Europe. For example, Britain expects

to get 10% of its electricity from offshore wind next year, which is up from

less than 1% in 2010.

Developers of offshore wind farms have struggled to gain a foothold in

the US. Some projects have foundered

because of cost issues, but others have faced opposition from politicians and

coastal-property owners. But assuming

the New York wind projects clear permitting and environmental hurdles, offshore

wind may finally be on the move in the US.

**********

Web Links

New York Awards Offshore Wind Contracts in Bid to Reduce Emissions

Photo, posted May 22, 2007, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

...more