November 17, 2009, 12:59 PM ET.
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/11/17/blown-away-wind-power-keeps-growing-in-texas/
By Russell Gold, Wall Street Journal Blogs
Can the U.S. produce 20% of its electricity from wind? The U.S. Department of Energy thinks it can get there by 2030.
That doesn’t sound so far fetched anymore. A couple weeks ago – October 28th to be exact – wind turbines provided about 25% of Texas’ power consumption. (See the second page of the Texas electric authority ERCOT CEO’s update here.)
Of course, that could have been in the middle of the night when the good people of Flatonia, Amarillo and Gun Barrel City – not to mention Houston and Dallas – were asleep. (Update: It was in the middle of the night. Three a.m. to be exact.) Spain topped out at 53% of grid electricity from the wind earlier this month, but that occurred at about 5 a.m. while most Spaniards were asleep.
But back in Texas, a little before 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday October 28th, the Lone Star State got about 6,223 megawatts from the wind. That’s a record. At the time, the total load was about 35,000 megawatts. That’s 17.8% of its power from the wind. (That’s not sleepy-time power usage. Texas power consumption peaked in October at 49,100 megawatts.)
What does this mean for Texans electric bills? They could be headed down. A recent report finds that wind power is replacing more expensive forms of power generation.
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Showing posts with label Wind Power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wind Power. Show all posts
Friday, December 18, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
An idea blowing in the wind: Interest in wind turbines growing
Interest in energy-producing wind turbines
has picked up locally in tough economy.
An idea blowing in the wind: Interest in wind turbines growing - The Elkhart Truth - Elkhart, IN
Shared via AddThis
Published: 8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM
Last Updated: 8/24/2009 11:15:42 PM
By: Dustin Lawrence dlawrence@etruth.com
ELKHART -- Only a light morning breeze hit the Skystream 3.7 wind turbine. After looking up the 45-foot tower, Glen Smith grabbed a three-foot-long wrench and began tightening the bolts at its base.
"Have to make sure the unit's level," Smith explained. As the breeze began to pick up, the three carbon fiber fins began to slowly rotate. "And there they go."
Nearly five years ago Smith was servicing similar towers for a cellular phone company. But as the economy began to spin downward he was laid off. That's when Smith and his brother, Dave, began looking for a new way to utilize their engineering know-how. After meeting with Southwest Windpower, the manufacturer of the Skystream turbine, the brothers were awarded a dealership to sell the turbines. They called their new venture Wind-Wire.
Now Wind-Wire is the central Midwest dealer for Skystream turbines and business is booming. Based out of St. Joseph County, they sell and install generators in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. But even in Elkhart County, where unemployment is still at a stifling 16.7 percent, Smith says the machines are piquing interest.
"In Elkhart County we have been doing one to two (installations) a month lately," he said. "It's a good county. The people are proactive."
Back in 2008, only one request for a wind generator went through the Elkhart County Planning Department. But since April there have been six requests and more are expected. Other businesses that supply residential wind turbines in Elkhart County say they too have noticed a spike in consumer interest.
But the trend isn't specific to only Elkhart County. Smith says residents are putting up wind turbines throughout the Midwest and across much of the country.
"We will have done a hundred by the end of the year," he said. "By next year we will be well over 100."
Smith says the reason that so many have begun to purchase his turbines -- which cost around $12,500 after the tax credits -- is because people are looking to lower their energy costs or in some cases get rid of them all together.
"If this (turbine) is humming it will pretty much power that whole house," he claimed, pointing to a single-story ranch house. "Any energy that this puts out and that the house is not using ... It will turn the meter backwards."
On the Skystream Web site the company claims that its product typically lowers a household electric bill by 30 to 80 percent.
Nick Meyer, communications manager for Northern Indiana Public Service Company, notes NIPSCO does not buy back power but offers customers with wind generators participation in its net metering program.
"If the customer generates more power than they're using then they build up a credit," Meyer said about the net metering program.
Other utilities in Indiana, such as AEP's Indiana Michigan Power, offer similar net metering programs. However, Indiana law doesn't allow net metering benefits for wind generators that produce more than 10 kilowatts. Of the 42 states that require net metering, Indiana has one of the most restrictive limits. Arizona and Ohio don't have any limits.
Still, power generated by a wind turbine directly offsets the cost of power from the grid.
That's one reason why Mark and Paula Steiner decided to get a wind turbine. Wind-Wire recently installed a 45-foot wind tower in the couple's back yard.
"In the long run the extra cash will go back to my children's college funds," Steiner said, also admitting that environmental impact was a reason they purchased the wind turbine.
Yet Steiner also says she wouldn't have bought the wind turbine without the tax credits.
Heidi McHugh, marketing manager for Mobile Home and Energy, a Middlebury supplier of solar and wind energy options, says her company has seen a 15 percent increase in business since January. That's when the Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency went into affect, allowing consumers such as Steiner to get up to 30 percent of the costs for energy saving projects.
But the initial costs is one reason why many can't install wind generators on their properties. The American Wind Energy Association says a typical home wind system costs around $32,000 installed and an Indiana Consumers Guide says they can cost as much as $50,000.
Even though Wind-Wire's systems cost far less than those estimates, Smith notes there is another deterrent -- a lack of wind. On a six-tiered system that measures wind productivity, most of Northern Indiana is rated a class two. That means the estimated productivity per square mile is 350 to 500 kilowatt-hours per year. In a class-six area, the productivity is 770 to 880 kilowatt-hours per year.
While costs and lack of wind has turned some in Elkhart County away from wind energy, it has inspired others. Doug Martin, an engineer with a background in ultralight flyers, has already raised three prototype wind turbines, which he says are more efficient than most others on the market.
On his 17-acre property rise testaments to his resolution -- 80-foot high towers topped by his prototype generators.
"This all starts somewhere," Martin said. "At one point Bill Gates was sitting in his college dorm room saying, 'You know what, software is the next big thing.'"
Martin says that like the famed entrepreneur, he too is a "capitalist" who has noticed a future demand across the county. And even as companies like Home and Mobile Energy and Wind-Wire are now seeing more customers, Martin hopes to further perfect his design.
"In the very near future," Martin said, "this (renewable energy) could be the biggest market."
Wind-Wire of South Bend and Home and Mobile Energy of Middlebury are both Business Members of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
has picked up locally in tough economy.
An idea blowing in the wind: Interest in wind turbines growing - The Elkhart Truth - Elkhart, IN
Shared via AddThis
Published: 8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM
Last Updated: 8/24/2009 11:15:42 PM
By: Dustin Lawrence dlawrence@etruth.com
ELKHART -- Only a light morning breeze hit the Skystream 3.7 wind turbine. After looking up the 45-foot tower, Glen Smith grabbed a three-foot-long wrench and began tightening the bolts at its base.
"Have to make sure the unit's level," Smith explained. As the breeze began to pick up, the three carbon fiber fins began to slowly rotate. "And there they go."
Nearly five years ago Smith was servicing similar towers for a cellular phone company. But as the economy began to spin downward he was laid off. That's when Smith and his brother, Dave, began looking for a new way to utilize their engineering know-how. After meeting with Southwest Windpower, the manufacturer of the Skystream turbine, the brothers were awarded a dealership to sell the turbines. They called their new venture Wind-Wire.
Now Wind-Wire is the central Midwest dealer for Skystream turbines and business is booming. Based out of St. Joseph County, they sell and install generators in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. But even in Elkhart County, where unemployment is still at a stifling 16.7 percent, Smith says the machines are piquing interest.
"In Elkhart County we have been doing one to two (installations) a month lately," he said. "It's a good county. The people are proactive."
Back in 2008, only one request for a wind generator went through the Elkhart County Planning Department. But since April there have been six requests and more are expected. Other businesses that supply residential wind turbines in Elkhart County say they too have noticed a spike in consumer interest.
But the trend isn't specific to only Elkhart County. Smith says residents are putting up wind turbines throughout the Midwest and across much of the country.
"We will have done a hundred by the end of the year," he said. "By next year we will be well over 100."
Smith says the reason that so many have begun to purchase his turbines -- which cost around $12,500 after the tax credits -- is because people are looking to lower their energy costs or in some cases get rid of them all together.
"If this (turbine) is humming it will pretty much power that whole house," he claimed, pointing to a single-story ranch house. "Any energy that this puts out and that the house is not using ... It will turn the meter backwards."
On the Skystream Web site the company claims that its product typically lowers a household electric bill by 30 to 80 percent.
Nick Meyer, communications manager for Northern Indiana Public Service Company, notes NIPSCO does not buy back power but offers customers with wind generators participation in its net metering program.
"If the customer generates more power than they're using then they build up a credit," Meyer said about the net metering program.
Other utilities in Indiana, such as AEP's Indiana Michigan Power, offer similar net metering programs. However, Indiana law doesn't allow net metering benefits for wind generators that produce more than 10 kilowatts. Of the 42 states that require net metering, Indiana has one of the most restrictive limits. Arizona and Ohio don't have any limits.
Still, power generated by a wind turbine directly offsets the cost of power from the grid.
That's one reason why Mark and Paula Steiner decided to get a wind turbine. Wind-Wire recently installed a 45-foot wind tower in the couple's back yard.
"In the long run the extra cash will go back to my children's college funds," Steiner said, also admitting that environmental impact was a reason they purchased the wind turbine.
Yet Steiner also says she wouldn't have bought the wind turbine without the tax credits.
Heidi McHugh, marketing manager for Mobile Home and Energy, a Middlebury supplier of solar and wind energy options, says her company has seen a 15 percent increase in business since January. That's when the Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency went into affect, allowing consumers such as Steiner to get up to 30 percent of the costs for energy saving projects.
But the initial costs is one reason why many can't install wind generators on their properties. The American Wind Energy Association says a typical home wind system costs around $32,000 installed and an Indiana Consumers Guide says they can cost as much as $50,000.
Even though Wind-Wire's systems cost far less than those estimates, Smith notes there is another deterrent -- a lack of wind. On a six-tiered system that measures wind productivity, most of Northern Indiana is rated a class two. That means the estimated productivity per square mile is 350 to 500 kilowatt-hours per year. In a class-six area, the productivity is 770 to 880 kilowatt-hours per year.
While costs and lack of wind has turned some in Elkhart County away from wind energy, it has inspired others. Doug Martin, an engineer with a background in ultralight flyers, has already raised three prototype wind turbines, which he says are more efficient than most others on the market.
On his 17-acre property rise testaments to his resolution -- 80-foot high towers topped by his prototype generators.
"This all starts somewhere," Martin said. "At one point Bill Gates was sitting in his college dorm room saying, 'You know what, software is the next big thing.'"
Martin says that like the famed entrepreneur, he too is a "capitalist" who has noticed a future demand across the county. And even as companies like Home and Mobile Energy and Wind-Wire are now seeing more customers, Martin hopes to further perfect his design.
"In the very near future," Martin said, "this (renewable energy) could be the biggest market."
Wind-Wire of South Bend and Home and Mobile Energy of Middlebury are both Business Members of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Twisting in the wind
Company says lack of clear wind energy policies causing customers to worry
Bowdeya Tweh - bowdeya.tweh@nwi.com, (219) 933-3316 | Posted: Sunday, August 23, 2009 12:00 am
The owner of a Northwest Indiana firm selling residential wind energy systems says he is having problems with Lake and Porter County officials because there's confusion on policies determining what residents must do before activating them.
George Kontol Jr. of DeMotte-based Northwest Geothermal Inc. said times have been difficult for his company that sells and installs geothermal and wind generation systems, including its 30-foot high, 1,100-pound Windspire product.
Nicholas Serena, who lives a few miles northeast of Lowell, isn't able to use the Windspire installed at his farm in April because Lake County officials have told him that he doesn't have the appropriate permits or variances out to use it. Serena, a sales representative for the business through his firm Pleasant Grove Windworks, said when he called the county Plan Commission four months ago to ask what was required before installing the tower, he was told nothing was required.
Now, Serena said he and his lawyer plan to work with the county to see what is required. Serena said he's losing money on the $14,000 purchase because it's off and would like to get the system running within a couple of months.
Kontol said he wants to abide by county standards in his business and he's had easier times taking out permits in Lafayette and Indianapolis. He said a Porter County resident purchased the system as well, but a county official advised him to wait before using it until a wind energy policy could be developed.
"They're all being punished for wanting to be sustainable," Kontol said. "The utility companies want to charge you outrageous rates. The counties don't want to give you permits. There's no reason why we should be punished as consumers."
In Lake County
Lake County Plan Commission Director Ned Kovachevich said in a June 1 letter to Serena that he violated county ordinances by not requesting a permit for a "wind-powered cylindrical structure" and for the businesses not having a contractor's license in unincorporated Lake County to make or install electrical connections for wind-generating structures.
Kovachevich said permits and variances give the county an opportunity to make sure structures are safe and meet code requirements.
At a Wednesday meeting, Kovachevich said the Plan Commission decided to have staff gather and report information in September or October to determine if there is further regulation needed for wind-generating structures.
Issues will be handled as individuals approach the county for now, Kovachevich said. Wind-generating structures may require people to apply for a variance for a structure's height, bulk or area and another variance allowing the structure to be placed in an area where current zoning may not allow it.
In Porter County
Porter County Planning Commission Executive Director Robert Thompson said he hopes the county will have an ordinance in place dealing with small or single-site wind energy developments, but said a committee is still reviewing the impact they may have on communities.
The issue is expected to be on the commission's September meeting agenda.
Thompson said discussion on a wind energy ordinance was tabled in a meeting earlier this month to have more research done. Some issues raised include where the distribution system for a large wind energy development would be located and how would the energy be added to the current electrical grid, Thompson said.
For the time being, Thompson said the county has directed people to apply for a variance through the county's Board of Zoning Appeals and the process could take one or two months.
Windspires everywhere?
Kontol says he can't understand why the counties aren't more supportive of wind generation systems when the federal government supports it. A 30 percent federal tax credit is available for residents after having residential wind energy systems installed on their property, according to the U.S. Energy Star program Web site. The maximum generator output must be less than 100 kilowatts to qualify and the Windspire product meets this standard. The credit is on the cost of the system and must be placed in service by 2016.
Serena said the Windspire will pay for itself in six years, but people need to be relieved of the worries that they could pay for a device they can't use.
"It has definitely made people hesitant," Serena said. "We're educating people who don't know this technology and what it could bring for the future. I could see ... windspires all over the place, but we have to get it out there and get the knowledge out there to people work(ing) with it."
Bowdeya Tweh - bowdeya.tweh@nwi.com, (219) 933-3316 | Posted: Sunday, August 23, 2009 12:00 am
The owner of a Northwest Indiana firm selling residential wind energy systems says he is having problems with Lake and Porter County officials because there's confusion on policies determining what residents must do before activating them.
George Kontol Jr. of DeMotte-based Northwest Geothermal Inc. said times have been difficult for his company that sells and installs geothermal and wind generation systems, including its 30-foot high, 1,100-pound Windspire product.
Nicholas Serena, who lives a few miles northeast of Lowell, isn't able to use the Windspire installed at his farm in April because Lake County officials have told him that he doesn't have the appropriate permits or variances out to use it. Serena, a sales representative for the business through his firm Pleasant Grove Windworks, said when he called the county Plan Commission four months ago to ask what was required before installing the tower, he was told nothing was required.
Now, Serena said he and his lawyer plan to work with the county to see what is required. Serena said he's losing money on the $14,000 purchase because it's off and would like to get the system running within a couple of months.
Kontol said he wants to abide by county standards in his business and he's had easier times taking out permits in Lafayette and Indianapolis. He said a Porter County resident purchased the system as well, but a county official advised him to wait before using it until a wind energy policy could be developed.
"They're all being punished for wanting to be sustainable," Kontol said. "The utility companies want to charge you outrageous rates. The counties don't want to give you permits. There's no reason why we should be punished as consumers."
In Lake County
Lake County Plan Commission Director Ned Kovachevich said in a June 1 letter to Serena that he violated county ordinances by not requesting a permit for a "wind-powered cylindrical structure" and for the businesses not having a contractor's license in unincorporated Lake County to make or install electrical connections for wind-generating structures.
Kovachevich said permits and variances give the county an opportunity to make sure structures are safe and meet code requirements.
At a Wednesday meeting, Kovachevich said the Plan Commission decided to have staff gather and report information in September or October to determine if there is further regulation needed for wind-generating structures.
Issues will be handled as individuals approach the county for now, Kovachevich said. Wind-generating structures may require people to apply for a variance for a structure's height, bulk or area and another variance allowing the structure to be placed in an area where current zoning may not allow it.
In Porter County
Porter County Planning Commission Executive Director Robert Thompson said he hopes the county will have an ordinance in place dealing with small or single-site wind energy developments, but said a committee is still reviewing the impact they may have on communities.
The issue is expected to be on the commission's September meeting agenda.
Thompson said discussion on a wind energy ordinance was tabled in a meeting earlier this month to have more research done. Some issues raised include where the distribution system for a large wind energy development would be located and how would the energy be added to the current electrical grid, Thompson said.
For the time being, Thompson said the county has directed people to apply for a variance through the county's Board of Zoning Appeals and the process could take one or two months.
Windspires everywhere?
Kontol says he can't understand why the counties aren't more supportive of wind generation systems when the federal government supports it. A 30 percent federal tax credit is available for residents after having residential wind energy systems installed on their property, according to the U.S. Energy Star program Web site. The maximum generator output must be less than 100 kilowatts to qualify and the Windspire product meets this standard. The credit is on the cost of the system and must be placed in service by 2016.
Serena said the Windspire will pay for itself in six years, but people need to be relieved of the worries that they could pay for a device they can't use.
"It has definitely made people hesitant," Serena said. "We're educating people who don't know this technology and what it could bring for the future. I could see ... windspires all over the place, but we have to get it out there and get the knowledge out there to people work(ing) with it."
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Bloomberg Offers Windmill Power Plan; What Are Indiana Mayors Proposing?
I applaud New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's bold plan to put wind turbines on the city's bridges and skyscrapers. Although the City of Indianapolis and other municipalities throughout the State of Indiana may not have the unique perches available in the Big Apple, Indiana Mayors including Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard could learn a thing or two from this bold move.
What do you think?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/nyregion/20windmill.html?ex=1376971200&en=ee19d617dadbcc53&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
August 20, 2008
Bloomberg Offers Windmill Power Plan
By MICHAEL BARBARO
In a plan that would drastically remake New York City’s skyline and shores, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is seeking to put wind turbines on the city’s bridges and skyscrapers and in its waters as part of a wide-ranging push to develop renewable energy.
The plan, while still in its early stages, appears to be the boldest environmental proposal to date from the mayor, who has made energy efficiency a cornerstone of his administration.
Mr. Bloomberg said he would ask private companies and investors to study how windmills can be built across the city, with the aim of weaning it off the nation’s overtaxed power grid, which has produced several crippling blackouts in New York over the last decade.
Mr. Bloomberg did not specify which skyscrapers and bridges would be candidates for windmills, and city officials would need to work with property owners to identify the buildings that would best be able to hold the equipment.
But aides said that for offshore locations, the city was eyeing the generally windy coast off Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island for turbines that could generate 10 percent of the city’s electricity needs within 10 years.
“When it comes to producing clean power, we’re determined to make New York the No. 1 city in the nation,” Mr. Bloomberg said as he outlined his plans in a speech Tuesday night in Las Vegas, where a major conference on alternative energy is under way.
He later evoked the image of the Statue of Liberty’s torch, saying he imagined it one day “powered by an ocean wind farm.”
But the mayor’s proposal for wind power faces several serious obstacles: People are likely to oppose technologies that alter the appearance of their neighborhoods; wind-harnessing technology can be exceedingly expensive; and Mr. Bloomberg has less than 18 months left in office to put a plan into place.
Turning New York City into a major source of wind power would likely take years, if not decades, and could require a thicket of permits from state and federal agencies. Parts of New York’s coastline, for example, are controlled by the federal government, from which private companies must lease access.
Mr. Bloomberg is known for introducing ambitious proposals that later collapse, as did his congestion-pricing plan for Manhattan.
But aides said he was committed to developing alternative energy sources in the city, and wanted to jump-start the discussion now.
“In New York,” he said in his speech, “we don’t think of alternative power as something that we just import from other parts of the nation.”
Asserting the seriousness of his intentions, aides said, Mr. Bloomberg met privately with T. Boone Pickens, the oil baron who is trying to build the world’s largest wind farm in Texas, to discuss possibilities for such technology in New York.
And on Tuesday afternoon the city issued a formal request to companies around the country for proposals to build wind-, solar- and water-based energy sources in New York. “We want their best ideas for creating both small- and large-scale projects serving New Yorkers,” Mr. Bloomberg said.
Rohit Aggarwala, the director of the city’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, said that turbines on buildings would likely be much smaller than offshore ones. Several companies are experimenting with models that look like eggbeaters, which the Bloomberg administration says could be integrated into the spires atop the city’s tall buildings. “”You can make them so small that people think they are part of the design,” Mr. Aggarwala said.
“If rooftop wind can make it anywhere, this is a great city,” he said. “We have a lot of tall buildings.”
Creating an offshore wind farm, he said, requires “pretty much the same level of difficulty as drilling an oil rig, but you don’t have to pump oil.”
“You could imagine going as much as 15, 20, 25 miles offshore, where it’s virtually invisible to land,” he said.
Mr. Aggarwala said that developing renewable energy for New York would take considerable time. “Nobody is going to see a wind farm off the coast of Queens in the next year,” he said.
But “the idea of renewable power in and around New York City is very realistic,” he said. “The question is what type makes the most sense and in what time frame. That is what we are trying to figure out.”
The city has experimented with wind power before. It put a turbine on city-owned land at 34th Street and the East River several years ago, but found that the technology was not efficient enough to expand.
The mayor’s plan includes the widespread use of solar panels, possibly on the roofs of public and private buildings. One proposal is to allow companies to rent roofs for solar panels and sell the energy they harvest to residents.
The city is already using tidal turbines under the East River that provide energy to Roosevelt Island. That technology could be widely expanded under the mayor’s proposal.
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
What do you think?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/nyregion/20windmill.html?ex=1376971200&en=ee19d617dadbcc53&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
August 20, 2008
Bloomberg Offers Windmill Power Plan
By MICHAEL BARBARO
In a plan that would drastically remake New York City’s skyline and shores, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is seeking to put wind turbines on the city’s bridges and skyscrapers and in its waters as part of a wide-ranging push to develop renewable energy.
The plan, while still in its early stages, appears to be the boldest environmental proposal to date from the mayor, who has made energy efficiency a cornerstone of his administration.
Mr. Bloomberg said he would ask private companies and investors to study how windmills can be built across the city, with the aim of weaning it off the nation’s overtaxed power grid, which has produced several crippling blackouts in New York over the last decade.
Mr. Bloomberg did not specify which skyscrapers and bridges would be candidates for windmills, and city officials would need to work with property owners to identify the buildings that would best be able to hold the equipment.
But aides said that for offshore locations, the city was eyeing the generally windy coast off Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island for turbines that could generate 10 percent of the city’s electricity needs within 10 years.
“When it comes to producing clean power, we’re determined to make New York the No. 1 city in the nation,” Mr. Bloomberg said as he outlined his plans in a speech Tuesday night in Las Vegas, where a major conference on alternative energy is under way.
He later evoked the image of the Statue of Liberty’s torch, saying he imagined it one day “powered by an ocean wind farm.”
But the mayor’s proposal for wind power faces several serious obstacles: People are likely to oppose technologies that alter the appearance of their neighborhoods; wind-harnessing technology can be exceedingly expensive; and Mr. Bloomberg has less than 18 months left in office to put a plan into place.
Turning New York City into a major source of wind power would likely take years, if not decades, and could require a thicket of permits from state and federal agencies. Parts of New York’s coastline, for example, are controlled by the federal government, from which private companies must lease access.
Mr. Bloomberg is known for introducing ambitious proposals that later collapse, as did his congestion-pricing plan for Manhattan.
But aides said he was committed to developing alternative energy sources in the city, and wanted to jump-start the discussion now.
“In New York,” he said in his speech, “we don’t think of alternative power as something that we just import from other parts of the nation.”
Asserting the seriousness of his intentions, aides said, Mr. Bloomberg met privately with T. Boone Pickens, the oil baron who is trying to build the world’s largest wind farm in Texas, to discuss possibilities for such technology in New York.
And on Tuesday afternoon the city issued a formal request to companies around the country for proposals to build wind-, solar- and water-based energy sources in New York. “We want their best ideas for creating both small- and large-scale projects serving New Yorkers,” Mr. Bloomberg said.
Rohit Aggarwala, the director of the city’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, said that turbines on buildings would likely be much smaller than offshore ones. Several companies are experimenting with models that look like eggbeaters, which the Bloomberg administration says could be integrated into the spires atop the city’s tall buildings. “”You can make them so small that people think they are part of the design,” Mr. Aggarwala said.
“If rooftop wind can make it anywhere, this is a great city,” he said. “We have a lot of tall buildings.”
Creating an offshore wind farm, he said, requires “pretty much the same level of difficulty as drilling an oil rig, but you don’t have to pump oil.”
“You could imagine going as much as 15, 20, 25 miles offshore, where it’s virtually invisible to land,” he said.
Mr. Aggarwala said that developing renewable energy for New York would take considerable time. “Nobody is going to see a wind farm off the coast of Queens in the next year,” he said.
But “the idea of renewable power in and around New York City is very realistic,” he said. “The question is what type makes the most sense and in what time frame. That is what we are trying to figure out.”
The city has experimented with wind power before. It put a turbine on city-owned land at 34th Street and the East River several years ago, but found that the technology was not efficient enough to expand.
The mayor’s plan includes the widespread use of solar panels, possibly on the roofs of public and private buildings. One proposal is to allow companies to rent roofs for solar panels and sell the energy they harvest to residents.
The city is already using tidal turbines under the East River that provide energy to Roosevelt Island. That technology could be widely expanded under the mayor’s proposal.
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
