US eyeing Euro offshore wind, Long Island still on the fence
The United States has never been shy about following European trends. Be it politics, philosophy or fashion, ideas have flowed west across the Atlantic Ocean for centuries. After 20 years of development and fine tuning, it appears the U.S. is set to jump on another European bandwagon: offshore wind energy.
Europe’s first offshore wind farm Vindeby, an 11-turbine farm in Denmark, has been generating power since 1991. As of June 2011, Europe has erected 49 offshore wind farms totaling 1,247 turbines according to a report by the European Wind Energy Association.
In the U.S., despite ample coastline and wind potential, there is not one offshore wind turbine.
The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) is considering two different offshore wind proposals. Since 2009, the company has been working with a collaborative that includes the New York Power Authority and Con Edison on what is being called the Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative. LIPA is also considering a proposal made in 2010 by Deepwater Wind, a Rhode Island based company.
