Letter: Tap our offshore wind
In this photo made with a long exposure, blades on wind turbines spin to produce electricity at a wind farm near Ellsworth, Kan., on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. Credit: AP / Charlie Riedel
We’ve just had beautiful spring days, but also recent bad news about our changing climate, making it difficult to enjoy these days: 2015 was the hottest year on record.
So what is there for Long Islanders to celebrate? Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has set a target for 50 percent of New York’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2030.
But where is all this renewable energy to come from? Land-based wind and solar won’t deliver enough. We need now to tap the powerful ocean winds off our state’s long shoreline [“Assurances over wind farm,” News, April 29]. We may take a welcome first step with a proposed wind installation to supply power to the South Fork.
Offshore wind has many advantages: Its source is always free — no price spikes. The wind blows stronger offshore than on land, so turbines can be bigger and generate more energy. Offshore wind farms will be in nobody’s backyard. Siting them miles offshore ensures that they are virtually invisible from land. Finally, building, transporting, installing and servicing the turbines will provide good jobs here and around the state.
Helen Roussel, Sag Harbor
