Following the epic storm that leveled much of the New York region’s electrical infrastructure in late October, most area residents don’t even want to hear about the benefits of a brisk wind, either onshore or offshore.
However, a grid-tied, offshore wind farm actually may be the answer to some of their problems. Not only would the Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Project represent 350 to 700 megawatts (MW) of distributed generation, but it would supplant fossil fuels with renewable energy..
The idea is being advanced by a public-private partnership that has full participation from the area’s beleaguered utilities—Con Edison, Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and New York Power Authority (NYPA). The power companies are focused on responding to widespread criticism about their storm response in two ways: First, they are looking at upgrading their infrastructure with smart grids, batteries, and other next-generation hardware and software that will enable them to identify and repair problem areas more quickly. Second, they are adding extra capacity.
The collaborative already has a jump on idea number two: In September 2011, the companies filed an offshore land lease application with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)... Read More
By