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New power in the wind? |
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L.I. firm wants big turbines offshore |
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Hoping to cash in on the alternative energy revolution, a Long Island company wants to convert sea breezes to electricity with swaths of offshore windmills dominating the horizon at Jones Beach, Fire Island and the Hamptons. The company - Winergy, of Shirley - envisions hundreds of windmills rising as high as the Statue of Liberty off the beaches of Long Island, the Jersey Shore and sites from Massachusetts to Maryland. There are no offshore wind farms in the U.S., and Winergy hopes to become among the first. The company has submitted preapplication plans to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - the first of more than a dozen agencies whose approval is required - for 21 vast generating complexes along the Atlantic seaboard, including one that would cover 108 square miles. The prospect of huge complexes of turbines towering over some of the East's premier beaches - with 300-foot blades visible from as far as 20 miles - has touched off a tidal wave of controversy and pitted environmental groups against one another. The reaction of officials in Suffolk County, home to pristine beaches, is mixed. "We ... support research into offshore generation," said George Prios, Suffolk's chief environmental analyst. "But if you can see these turbines, that is cause for concern." A Long Island Power Authority study showed last year that if all the potential offshore sites were developed, they "would yield the equivalent of 77% of Long Island's electricity needs." Scaling down On a more modest level, a single offshore 100-megawatt wind farm with 25 to 50 windmills could provide power to 33,000 homes for a year, said Dan Zaweski, LIPA energy efficiency expert.He said there is interest and a built-in market, adding, "LIPA would be willing to purchase all or some of the energy generated by all these farms." Winergy President Dennis Quaranta, the former owner of several chain restaurants, said he hopes to begin with six relatively small 2-megawatt turbines in the waters off Plum Island, less than a mile from the northeastern tip of Long Island. The Plum Island windmills would only produce enough electricity for 3,600 homes, he says. Winergy's plans are much more ambitious. The largest of its planned New York wind farms would be an 82-turbine operation spread over 17 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean, only a mile from the private beaches of billionaires in Westhampton. And, if it gets its way, Winergy would place 67 turbines over 13 square miles off Jones Beach, 63 off Fire Island and 57 near Smith Point at Shirley. Quaranta dismissed concerns that neither he nor his partner, Bob Link, have energy production experience. "Basically, we want to get all the permits and then bring in a developer like KeySpan, and then share in the profits," he said. Government regulators and utility companies have expressed reservations. "There is more detail on Winergy's Web site than we have on its application," said Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Larry Rosenberg. "We have not received anything other than good intentions." Energy entrepreneurs have been encouraged by Cape Wind Associates, a Massachusetts firm that is well along in plans for a $600 million, 170-turbine complex 4 miles off Cape Cod. Despite considerable local opposition, the operation got a major boost in November when the federal government cleared the way for a data collection tower, the first step in developing the first offshore U.S. wind farm. Cape Wind officials say the complex would meet about half the energy demands of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and save about $25 million a year. As companies vie for the chance to harvest the wind, environmentalists are split over the creation of offshore complexes. Greenpeace, the international environmental group, broadcast a huge video in Times Square on New Year's Eve showing windmills with the message: "Wind could supply our nation's electricity needs three times over." Those opposed The group supports the Cape Wind project, and spokeswoman Shannon Wright said it would back Winergy's plan, too, "as long as it plays by the rules and complies with environmental standards." But not all environmental groups are as welcoming. "I strongly support wind farms," said environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr., president of the Waterkeeper Alliance. "But you wouldn't put a wind farm in Central Park, and you shouldn't put one off Jones Beach," he said, adding, "The diminished value that the wind farm would impose on the public would not justify the benefits." Said Quaranta: "Sure, you're going to have opposition. ... But there are also people out there with a lot of money who think they own the view." Tapping natural energy Wind energy has been the fastest-growing source of electricity since the 1990s, and the U.S. Energy Department wants to generate 5% of the nation's electricity from wind by 2010. Some basic facts: · There are no offshore wind farms in the U.S., but more than $100 million worth have been developed in Europe. · The state energy plan calls for New York to generate 15% of its power from wind and other renewable sources by 2020. In California, wind plants save the equivalent of 5 million barrels of oil a year. · An offshore wind farm would require permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration, state Department of State, Department of Environmental Conservation, Public Service Commission and Office of General Services, and local planning and zoning boards.
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