New York to Build America's Largest Offshore Wind Farm

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a24954/new-york-offshore-wind-farm/

[font face=Serif][font size=5]New York to Build America's Largest Offshore Wind Farm[/font]

[font size=4]The new wind farm will generate enough electricity to power 50,000 homes.[/font]

By Avery Thompson | Jan 27, 2017

[font size=3]America's first offshore wind farm just turned on, but we're already scheduled to start building a second one. Deepwater Wind, the company behind the country's first offshore wind farm, has just received regulatory approval to begin construction of the South Fork Wind Farm, a 90 megawatt farm off the coast of Long Island.

Offshore wind turbines are a controversial topic in the U.S., with many coastal residents concerned that the turbines could block the view and raise electricity costs. But offshore turbines are some of the most cost-effective sources of new power, with a single turbine generating upwards of 4 megawatts.

While China and many European countries have built hundreds or thousands of offshore turbines, America has built only five, all in the Block Island wind farm that was completed a few months ago. We don't even have a dedicated ship for building offshore turbines, so a specialized ship had to sail all the way from Europe to do the job.

A press release from the office of New York governor Andrew Cuomo reveals that Long Island could be the home of 15 more offshore wind turbines in the next few years. The governor has approved construction of a 90 megawatt wind farm east of Montauk that will power 50,000 homes. This is part of the governor's goal to supply half of New York's energy with renewable sources by 2030.

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[HoneyBadger]

1. Kind of awesome for sustainable energy

The bird people will go mad, wind farms are bird grinders

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Wind turbines aren't bird grinders

http://www.audubon.org/content/audubons-position-wind-power

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Audubon's Position on Wind Power[/font]

[font size=3]Audubon strongly supports properly sited wind power as a renewable energy source that helps reduce the threats posed to birds and people by climate change. However, we also advocate that wind power facilities should be planned, sited, and operated in ways that minimize harm to birds and other wildlife, and we advocate that wildlife agencies should ensure strong enforcement of the laws that protect birds and other wildlife.

Audubon has testified in Congress about the effects of wind turbines on birds and bats. Audubon also supported and helped develop guidelines for the wind industry to help minimize harm to birds and other wildlife. Of course, in order for those guidelines to be effective, the government must enforce existing laws. Audubon is a forceful advocate for enforcement of those protective laws, and we stood in strong opposition to a 2013 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule that offered 30-year permits for wind farms to kill and injure Bald and Golden eagles. A federal judge later overturned this rule, and USFWS dropped its appeal in 2016.

Finally, Audubon state offices and chapters are active on the local level advocating for meaningful changes to wind development projects to minimize impacts to birds and habitat. Audubon uses cutting-edge mapping technology to visualize potential impacts and advocate for beneficial siting of wind power.[/font]

[font size=4]Why does Audubon support properly sited wind power?[/font]

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