By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
Yes, windmills off the coast of the barrier island could be the future of Long Island power, if energy officials get their wish.
The proposed offshore wind farm -- perhaps the nation's first -- would stretch for miles along Long Island's South Shore, including Point Lookout, Lido Beach and Long Beach. It would run from a point southwest of the west end of Jones Beach, near the beaches of the barrier island, to an area near the western end of Robert Moses State Park.
"This is such a monumental project," said Michael Lowndes, director of media relations for the Long Island Power Authority. "This is historic. Nothing like this has been done anywhere in the nation or at this scale."
In late January, LIPA released a request for proposal seeking to develop the nation's first offshore wind park, which officials anticipate could be in operation by late 2007.
The wind turbines would be located at least 2.5 nautical miles -- 2.875 statute miles -- offshore. The hum they produce would rarely, if ever, be audible from shore, officials said. "This site has been chosen very carefully," Lowndes said.
The height of the wind turbines, with one blade straight up, would be approximately 360 feet to 428 feet above the surface of the water. They might be visible from shore on a clear day, Lowndes said. The park would have between 25 and 50 turbines that would produce a total of 100 to 140 megawatts of electricity on an optimal day.
A similar wind turbine -- though on land and smaller -- is located on Long Island, in Calverton, Lowndes said, calling it a good representation of what an offshore structure would look like.
The Offshore Wind Generation Project will continue to undergo studies, and will eventually include public forums in municipalities impacted by the project. The City of Long Beach has not yet been contacted regarding the proposed project, but City Council Vice President Scott Nigro said officials are "certainly interested in hearing more about it."
Morris Kramer, an Atlantic Beach environmentalist, said he is in favor of the plan. "Anything that we can do is better than what we are not doing," he said. Anticipating the potential objections some people may have to the sight of the turbines, he pointed out that supertankers also sit on the horizon, and we live with those in view.
LIPA has also enlisted the support of the Substantial Energy Alliance, which represents more than 30 Long Island-based environmental, civic and faith-based groups, Lowndes said.
With the request for proposal released, LIPA is seeking an experienced developer to build, own, operate and maintain the offshore wind park for an estimated 20 years, Lowndes said.
Two summers ago, peak electricity use on a summer day on Long Island was nearly 5,000 megawatts, Lowndes said. Last summer, he said, peak usage rose to over 6,000 megawatts. Even on a fairly breezy day, therefore, the wind turbines would produce only a fraction of the electricity needed to supply all of Long Island. The electricity they would generate would be an alternate supply, Lowndes said.
Massive wind isn't needed to power the turbines. The blades, Lowndes said, don't have to turn very fast in order to work. "They don't need to move like an airplane propeller," he said.
While the estimated start day is in late 2007, Lowndes said, LIPA is "far from it. [But] we feel confident that things are moving in the right direction.
"LIPA intends to involve anyone that will be impacted by this," he added. "This is not something LIPA is doing on [its] own."
In implementing the wind-generation project, the power authority is trying to meet Governor George Pataki's objective of generating 25 percent of the state's electricity from renewable technologies. LIPA has indicated that it would enter into a 15- to 20-year Power Purchase Agreement for 100 percent of the electricity and environmental attributes generated by the proposed wind park.
LIPA would also be responsible for connecting the turbines to its land-based electric transmission grid. A cable would run from an offshore substation to one of the power authority's land-based substations.
The proposed wind park would be part of LIPA's Clean Energy Initiative, a $170 million program for researching, developing and implementing alternative energy technologies.
Since the eastern end of Long Island has a large migratory bird population and a concentration of community fishing interests, the South Shore was considered an "optimal" location. Here, according to LIPA's Phase II Site Assessment Study, the turbines would have minimal impact on migratory birds and marine life.
"This has been a very careful and deliberate process," LIPA chairman Richard Kessel said. "There will be an extensive environmental review, continued outreach to local communities and commercial interests, and a thorough evaluation of the economic and engineering factors involved in such a project."
Many factors were considered during the study phase. In order to provide potential developers with the best location possible, ocean depth, proximity to the power authority's land-based electric transmission infrastructure, and environmental, economical and operation details were studied.
Still, Kessel said, before any wind turbines would be built, additional study would be needed to determine potential environmental impacts.
Kramer said that harvesting wind energy is a good start, and said he would like to see more of it. There is a windmill on the landfill at Norman J. Levy Park in Merrick, he said, and he believes additional windmills should be added to Oceanside's landfill.
